Southern

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A major U.S. electric and natural-gas utility holding company serving the southeastern United States.

Last updated October 10, 2026

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Overview

Southern Company is an American utility holding company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with executive offices in Birmingham, Alabama. Its principal businesses are regulated electric utilities, natural-gas distribution and infrastructure, wholesale power generation, nuclear operations, distributed-energy technologies, and related communications and infrastructure services. The group serves customers primarily through Alabama Power, Georgia Power, Mississippi Power, and Southern Company Gas, while Southern Power develops and operates wholesale generation projects across the United States. The company’s corporate lineage reaches back to the regional utility consolidation of the early twentieth century. Alabama Power, Georgia Power, Mississippi Power, and Gulf Power were brought together through predecessor holding companies before Southern Company was incorporated in Delaware in 1945. The company began operations in 1949 and moved its headquarters to Georgia in 1950. Its formation reflected the reorganization of the former Commonwealth & Southern system following the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935. Southern Company traditionally built its business around regulated electricity generation, transmission, and distribution. Its retail utilities operate across Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi, serving a large territory through extensive distribution networks. The company also owns or operates hydroelectric, natural-gas, coal, and nuclear generation assets. Over time, coal’s share of generation declined while nuclear, natural gas, hydroelectric power, solar, and other renewable resources became more prominent. The company diversified beyond its regulated utility base in the 1980s. Southern Energy was established as an unregulated and international energy business and was later spun off as Mirant Corporation in 2001. Southern Nuclear, Southern Power, Southern Telecom, Southern Linc, and other subsidiaries expanded the group’s capabilities in nuclear operations, wholesale generation, telecommunications, and energy infrastructure. In 2016, Southern Company acquired PowerSecure and AGL Resources, the latter becoming Southern Company Gas. The AGL transaction substantially expanded the group’s natural-gas customer base and geographic reach. Nuclear power has become one of Southern Company’s most consequential strategic commitments. Through Georgia Power and Southern Nuclear, the group is a major participant in Plant Vogtle near Augusta, Georgia. Vogtle Units 3 and 4 entered commercial service in 2023 and 2024, respectively, making them the first new commercial nuclear reactors to enter service in the United States in several decades. The project involved significant construction delays, cost pressure, and the 2017 bankruptcy of Westinghouse Electric Company, one of the project’s principal contractors. Southern Company has also pursued renewable generation, battery storage, grid modernization, distributed-energy systems, and carbon-reduction research. Its wholesale subsidiary has developed solar and other generation projects in multiple states. At the same time, the company’s earlier Kemper County project in Mississippi became a major example of the financial and technical risks associated with advanced coal-gasification technology. The original clean-coal concept was abandoned after substantial cost escalation, and the facility ultimately operated as a natural-gas plant. Today, Southern Company remains a large, regulated energy group whose business model combines long-lived utility infrastructure with wholesale generation and gas operations. Its competitive position is based on regional scale, regulated customer relationships, generation diversity, nuclear operating expertise, and investment in transmission, distributed energy, and lower-carbon technologies.

History

Southern Company’s corporate history is rooted in the formation of regional electric utilities in the early twentieth century. Alabama Power’s predecessor was established in 1906, while Georgia Power dates to 1902. Southeastern Power & Light was formed in 1924 as a holding company for Alabama Traction, Light and Power and subsequently brought Mississippi Power and Gulf Power into the same regional system. Georgia Power joined the system in 1926. In 1930, Southeastern Power & Light merged with Commonwealth & Southern Corporation. The resulting organization included electric companies in both northern and southern states. Federal utility-holding-company regulation eventually required the system to be reorganized. Four Deep South operating companies—Alabama Power, Georgia Power, Gulf Power, and Mississippi Power—were treated as an integrated regional system and remained under common ownership. Southern Company was incorporated in Delaware on November 9, 1945, began operations in 1949, and moved to Georgia in 1950. During the 1950s, the company became involved in the Dixon–Yates contract controversy concerning a proposed electricity supply arrangement between private utilities and the Atomic Energy Commission. The episode reflected the political and institutional tensions surrounding the development of commercial nuclear power and federal electricity procurement. Southern Company began formal diversification in 1981 by creating an unregulated subsidiary, making it the first U.S. electric utility holding company in decades to establish such a business. Southern Energy expanded internationally and eventually operated in multiple countries. In 2001, Southern Company spun off Southern Energy as Mirant Corporation. Other subsidiaries developed in parallel: Southern Nuclear began providing nuclear services in 1991, Southern Linc entered digital wireless communications in the 1990s, Southern Telecom was formed in 1997, and Southern Power was approved in 2001 to develop and manage wholesale generation. The group entered retail natural gas in Georgia in the early 2000s, although its initial Southern Company Gas retail operation was later sold. Its energy portfolio also began to include larger renewable and biomass projects. In 2011, Southern Company and Turner Renewable Energy acquired a 30-megawatt solar project in New Mexico. The Nacogdoches Generating Facility, a 115-megawatt biomass plant in Texas, began commercial operation in 2012. Southern Company’s most ambitious generation project in the 2010s was the expansion of Plant Vogtle in Georgia. Georgia Power, a Southern Company subsidiary, owns a major share of the plant and operates it with other co-owners. The project received an $8.3 billion federal loan guarantee in 2010 and was intended to add two advanced nuclear reactors. Construction was affected by delays, rising costs, and Westinghouse’s 2017 bankruptcy. Despite those difficulties, Unit 3 entered commercial operation in July 2023 and Unit 4 in April 2024. Another major project, Mississippi Power’s Kemper County Energy Facility, was designed to gasify lignite and capture much of the resulting carbon dioxide. The project attracted federal support and substantial public attention, but costs and delays escalated. The coal-gasification component was ultimately abandoned, and the facility operated using natural gas. Kemper became a prominent example of the execution and economic risks associated with large-scale emerging power-generation technology. In 2016, Southern Company acquired PowerSecure and AGL Resources. AGL was renamed Southern Company Gas, adding regulated gas utilities and related infrastructure in several states, including Atlanta Gas Light, Nicor Gas, Virginia Natural Gas, and Chattanooga Gas. In 2018, Southern Company agreed to sell Gulf Power and certain generation interests to NextEra Energy; the transaction closed in 2019, and Gulf Power was later integrated into Florida Power & Light. Southern Company continues to combine regulated electric and gas operations with wholesale generation, nuclear services, renewable development, transmission, distributed-energy technology, and communications infrastructure. Its strategic direction has increasingly emphasized grid modernization, renewable generation, storage, nuclear life extension, and lower-carbon energy systems while retaining a broad conventional generation portfolio.

2024
Vogtle Unit 4 enters commercial service
[1]Southern Companyen.wikipedia.org
The second new reactor in the Vogtle expansion began commercial operation.
2023
Vogtle Unit 3 enters commercial service
[1]Southern Companyen.wikipedia.org
The first new reactor in the Vogtle expansion began commercial operation.
2016
PowerSecure and AGL Resources are acquired
[1]Southern Companyen.wikipedia.org
The transactions expanded Southern Company into distributed energy and natural-gas utilities.
2001
Southern Energy is spun off
[1]Southern Companyen.wikipedia.org
Southern Energy became Mirant Corporation in a completed spin-off.
1991
Southern Nuclear begins providing services
[1]Southern Companyen.wikipedia.org
Southern Nuclear began supporting the system’s nuclear power plants.
1981
Unregulated diversification begins
[1]Southern Companyen.wikipedia.org
Southern Company created an unregulated subsidiary, beginning a broader diversification strategy.
1949
Operations begin
[1]Southern Companyen.wikipedia.org
The newly organized holding company commenced operations.
1945
Southern Company is incorporated
[1]Southern Companyen.wikipedia.org
Southern Company was incorporated in Delaware on November 9, 1945.
1926
Georgia Power joins the regional system
[1]Southern Companyen.wikipedia.org
Georgia Power was brought into the predecessor utility group.
1924
Southeastern Power & Light is formed
[1]Southern Companyen.wikipedia.org
The predecessor holding company was established to consolidate regional electric utilities, including the Alabama Power system.

Products and positioning

A large southeastern U.S. energy infrastructure group combining regulated electric and gas utilities with wholesale generation, nuclear operations, renewable energy, and grid technologies.

Electric utility service
Regulated electricity
Southern Company provides regulated electricity generation, transmission, distribution, and retail customer service through Alabama Power, Georgia Power, and Mississippi Power. These operating companies serve residential, commercial, and industrial customers across large territories in the southeastern United States. Their portfolios include conventional generation, nuclear power, hydroelectric resources, renewable projects, and supporting transmission and distribution infrastructure.
Natural-gas distribution · 2016
Natural-gas utility services
Southern Company Gas operates natural-gas distribution and related energy businesses in several states. The portfolio includes Atlanta Gas Light in Georgia, Nicor Gas in northern Illinois, Virginia Natural Gas in southeastern Virginia, and Chattanooga Gas in Tennessee. The segment also includes gas pipelines, storage and transportation optimization, and other infrastructure activities.
Power generation · 2001
Wholesale power generation
Southern Power develops, owns, and operates generation assets for wholesale markets. Its portfolio has included natural-gas, solar, biomass, hydroelectric, and other power projects. The business allows Southern Company to participate outside its regulated retail territories and to develop utility-scale renewable projects in multiple U.S. markets.
Nuclear energy · 1991
Nuclear generation and services
Southern Nuclear provides engineering, operations, and management services for Southern Company’s nuclear facilities. The group is associated with Plant Farley in Alabama, Plant Hatch in Georgia, and Plant Vogtle in Georgia. Vogtle’s two additional reactors entered commercial service in 2023 and 2024, substantially expanding the company’s nuclear generation capacity.
Energy technology · 2016
Distributed energy infrastructure
PowerSecure supplies distributed-energy infrastructure and related technologies, including systems intended to improve resiliency, backup capability, and customer-side energy management. Its capabilities complement Southern Company’s regulated utility and grid-modernization activities.

Controversies

2026
Alabama Securities Commission warns of online bill pay risks after Southern Company data breach
The Alabama Securities Commission warned consumers about risks associated with online bill payments following a data breach at Southern Company. The warning was issued in response to the breach, advising consumers to be aware of potential dangers when paying bills online. The commission's alert focused on the online bill payment process in the wake of the incident.
Source 1 Source 2
2017
Plant Vogtle construction and contractor bankruptcy
The Vogtle expansion faced delays and cost pressure, intensified when Westinghouse filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy while serving as a principal contractor on major U.S. nuclear projects.
Source
2010
Kemper County project cost and technology controversy
The Kemper project became controversial because of construction delays, substantial cost increases, and difficulties deploying its proposed coal-gasification and carbon-capture design. The original technology plan was eventually abandoned.
Source

2011Cimarron Solar Project
United States
Southern Company and Turner Renewable Energy acquired a 30-megawatt solar project in New Mexico, supporting the company’s expansion into utility-scale renewable generation.
Outcome. The project began generating electricity in 2011.
Source
2010Kemper County clean-coal initiative
United States
Mississippi Power pursued a lignite-gasification project intended to produce electricity with substantially lower carbon emissions and to commercialize advanced gasification technology.
Outcome. The gasification component was abandoned after major cost escalation and the facility operated as a natural-gas plant.
Source

Brand decisions

2024
Bring Plant Vogtle Unit 4 into commercial serviceProduct launch
Background
The second reactor of the Vogtle expansion followed Unit 3 after years of construction and regulatory work.
Action taken
Unit 4 entered commercial operation.
Aftermath
The completion established Vogtle as the largest nuclear power station in the United States and expanded Southern Company’s nuclear portfolio.
Source
2023
Bring Plant Vogtle Unit 3 into commercial serviceProduct launch
Background
The decision completed the first major stage of a long-delayed expansion intended to add new nuclear generation in Georgia.
Action taken
Georgia Power and its co-owners placed Unit 3 into commercial operation.
Aftermath
The unit added new nuclear capacity to the regional power system and preceded Unit 4’s commercial start.
Source
2018
Sell Gulf Power to NextEra EnergyM&A
Background
Southern Company reviewed its portfolio and agreed to divest its Florida Panhandle electric utility and certain generation interests.
Action taken
Southern Company agreed to sell Gulf Power and specified generation assets to NextEra Energy; the transaction closed on January 1, 2019.
Aftermath
Gulf Power became part of Florida Power & Light and its separate brand was later retired.
Transaction value. $6.5 billion (2018 announced transaction)
- NextEra Energy — NextEra Energy acquired Gulf Power and integrated it into Florida Power & Light.
Source
2016
Acquire AGL Resources and PowerSecureM&A
Background
Southern Company sought to broaden its business beyond regulated electric utilities and increase its presence in natural gas and distributed energy.
Action taken
It acquired AGL Resources, later renamed Southern Company Gas, and separately acquired PowerSecure.
Aftermath
The transactions expanded the group’s customer base, gas infrastructure, and distributed-energy capabilities.
Source

Recent events

2024
Vogtle Unit 4 begins commercial operation[1]Southern Companyen.wikipedia.org
Product launch · Product generation
The second new reactor at Plant Vogtle entered commercial service, completing the major expansion of the plant.
2024
Vogtle Unit 4 entered commercial operation[7]Vogtle Unit 4 entered commercial operationgeorgiapower.com
Product launch · Product generation
Georgia Power reported commercial operation of Vogtle Unit 4, completing the two-reactor expansion after a prolonged construction period.
2023
Vogtle Unit 3 begins commercial operation[1]Southern Companyen.wikipedia.org
Product launch · Product generation
The first of two new reactors at Plant Vogtle entered commercial service.
2023
Southern Power acquires the Millers Branch Solar Facility[1]Southern Companyen.wikipedia.org
M&A · Product launch
Southern Power announced the acquisition of a 200-megawatt solar facility in Haskell County, Texas, from EDF Renewables North America.
2023
Vogtle Unit 3 entered commercial operation[8]Vogtle Unit 3 entered commercial operationgeorgiapower.com
Product launch · Product generation
Georgia Power announced that Vogtle Unit 3 had entered commercial operation, marking the first new nuclear reactor to begin commercial service in the United States in more than three decades.
2019
Gulf Power sale to NextEra Energy was completed[9]Gulf Power sale to NextEra Energy was completednexteraenergy.com
M&A
Southern Company completed the sale of Gulf Power to NextEra Energy as part of a broader portfolio transaction involving Florida utility assets.
2018
Southern Company agrees to sell Gulf Power to NextEra Energy[1]Southern Companyen.wikipedia.org
M&A
Southern Company reached an agreement to sell Gulf Power and specified generation interests to NextEra Energy; the transaction closed in January 2019.
2017
Westinghouse files for bankruptcy during Plant Vogtle construction[1]Southern Companyen.wikipedia.org
Bankruptcy · Other
Westinghouse entered Chapter 11 after major losses on U.S. nuclear construction projects, including Vogtle, creating uncertainty over the project’s completion and financing.
2016
Southern Company acquires PowerSecure and AGL Resources[1]Southern Companyen.wikipedia.org
M&A
The acquisitions expanded Southern Company’s distributed-energy capabilities and natural-gas operations.
2016
Southern Company completed acquisition of AGL Resources[10]Southern Company completed acquisition of AGL Resourcessoutherncompany.com
M&A
Southern Company completed its acquisition of AGL Resources, expanding the group into regulated natural-gas distribution and related infrastructure and creating Southern Company Gas.

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