Southern - SO STOCK NEWS

Georgia Power is actively responding to Winter Storm Cora on January 10, 2025, as the weather system brings snow and icy conditions across north Georgia. While power interruptions have been minimal as of midday Friday, the company has positioned crews strategically, including reinforcements from South Georgia and additional personnel from the Southern Company system and Florida.

The company has invested in infrastructure improvements and Smart Grid technology to enhance reliability and grid resiliency. This technology allows for quick identification and isolation of outages, minimizing impact before field repairs begin.

Georgia Power emphasizes safety guidelines for customers, including avoiding downed power lines, proper generator use, and maintaining safe distances from utility crews. The company provides multiple ways to stay informed through their Outage Alert service, social media channels, Outage & Storm Center website, interactive Outage Map, and mobile app. Georgia Power serves 2.7 million customers across Georgia with a diverse generation mix including nuclear, coal, natural gas, and renewables.

Southern Company Gas has elected two new board members effective Jan. 1, 2025: Stephen Edwards, CEO of Virginia Port Authority, and A. Benjamin Spencer, dean of William & Mary Law School. Edwards, who has led the Virginia Port Authority since 2021, oversees operations that generate 565,000 jobs and $63 billion in annual GDP for Virginia. He brings extensive port management experience from previous executive roles at TraPac, GCT Global Container Terminals, and Ports America.

Spencer, serving as dean since 2020, manages a $40-million budget and $102-million endowment at William & Mary Law School. As a Marshall Scholar and Army Reserve JAG Corps officer, he brings legal expertise and academic leadership experience. Both appointments aim to strengthen Southern Company Gas's position as an energy provider serving 4.4 million customers, with particular focus on enhancing service in Virginia.

Georgia Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), has announced preparedness measures for expected winter weather conditions and provided energy-saving tips for customers. The company, serving 2.7 million customers across Georgia, emphasizes that heating can account for 50% of typical winter energy usage.

Key recommendations include: optimizing heating through regular filter changes, ensuring proper insulation (which can save up to 10% on energy usage), setting thermostats to 68 degrees or lower (each degree reduction can result in 3-4% energy savings), and utilizing natural heat through window management.

The company has implemented multiple communication channels for customers during severe weather, including Outage Alerts via text message, an Outage & Storm Center website, an interactive Outage Map, and a mobile app. Georgia Power maintains a diverse generation mix including nuclear, coal, natural gas, and renewables to serve its customers across 155 Georgia counties.

ComEd and Nicor Gas have joined forces to provide advanced energy efficiency certifications to graduates of their Market Development Initiative (MDI) programs. The collaboration focuses on offering Building Performance Institute (BPI) certifications to enhance the capabilities of local and diverse contractors in the energy efficiency industry.

The program enables home performance professionals to conduct energy modeling, building analysis, and data evaluation services, strengthening their ability to provide comprehensive improvement recommendations. In December, 22 MDI graduates participated in training sessions in Chicago and Carol Stream, Illinois, working toward the Building Professional (BA-P) credential through a four-day intensive program.

Eligible participants are those who previously obtained BPI certifications in Building Science Principles (BSP) and Building Analyst Technician (BA-T) through the utilities' MDI programs.

Nicor Gas has inaugurated its first renewable natural gas (RNG) interconnection with Air Liquide's facility in Rockford, Illinois, marking a significant milestone in the state's clean energy future. The facility, which began operations on June 12, 2024, is Air Liquide's largest RNG plant globally and converts biogas from the adjacent Winnebago Landfill into usable energy.

The plant is expected to produce approximately 1.3 million MMBtu of RNG annually, equivalent to supplying 12,000 homes. This interconnection was established under Nicor Gas' Renewable Gas Interconnection Pilot Program, approved by the Illinois Commerce Commission in 2021.

The facility captures biogas from organic waste decomposition at the landfill, which would otherwise be flared into the atmosphere, and purifies it into pipeline-quality gas. Nicor Gas will receive and retire 13,900 MMBtu annually of environmental attributes from this project, contributing to its operational greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals.

Southern Company achieved significant milestones in 2024, including the completion of Plant Vogtle's nuclear expansion, making it the nation's largest clean energy generator. The company faced challenges with Hurricane Helene, the most destructive storm in Georgia Power's 140-year history, affecting 1.5 million customers. Notable achievements include exemplary nuclear performance ratings, significant solar expansion with over 2,800 MW capacity since 2015, and the operation of its 30th solar site. The company received a $160 million DOE grant for grid enhancement and launched its first battery storage system. Financial highlights include an increased dividend to $2.86 per share and record stock prices in Q4. The company maintains its commitment to reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Southern Company achieved significant milestones in 2024, notably completing the Plant Vogtle nuclear expansion project in April - the first new nuclear reactors in the US in over 30 years, making it the nation's largest clean energy generator. The company faced challenges with Hurricane Helene, described as the most destructive storm in Georgia Power's history, which damaged over 1,500 miles of power lines. The response involved 20,000 personnel working on power restoration and infrastructure rebuilding. The company was recognized as the No. 1 most-admired electric and gas utility by Fortune magazine in 2024, highlighting the service of its 28,000 employees.

Georgia Natural Gas® (GNG) has announced that the Fox Theatre and City of Refuge have joined its Greener Life® for Business program, an initiative designed to help businesses reduce their environmental impact through carbon emission offsetting. The announcement was made during the 'Merry Mighty Mo and More' event at the Fox Theatre.

The program helps institutions offset carbon emissions from their natural gas usage through certified carbon offset projects. Over the past five years, GNG's Greener Life program has enabled thousands of residential and commercial customers to offset more than a half-billion pounds of carbon emissions.

The Fox Theatre, a 4,665-seat venue hosting over 150 performances annually, and City of Refuge, a social transformation organization serving over 35,000 people, will now benefit from this sustainability initiative while maintaining their existing partnership with GNG for natural gas services.

Southern Company and the ANNIKA Foundation have announced the ANNIKA 20 program, a new initiative to support emerging women professional golfers. The program will recognize the top 20 athletes based on the 2025 Callaway Race to Qualifying points standings, providing them with LPGA Qualifying Series scholarships that cover the full qualifying fees ($5,500 per player).

The initiative is part of a strategic partnership between legendary golfer Annika Sörenstam's foundation and the ANNIKA Women's All Pro Tour (WAPT). The 2025 ANNIKA WAPT season will feature 13 events, starting with the Coca-Cola Open in Alexandria, La. (April 2-5) and concluding at the Heritage Classic in Wichita, Kan. (September 3-6).