Southern Company30 Ivan Allen Jr. Blvd. NW, Atlanta

With more than 9 million customers, 44,000 megawatts of generating capacity and 1,500 billion cubic feet of combined natural gas consumption and throughput, Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is America's premier energy company serving the Southeast through its subsidiaries.

A leading U.S. producer of clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy, Southern Company owns electric utilities in four states, natural gas distribution utilities in seven states, a competitive generation company serving wholesale customers across America and a nationally recognized provider of customized energy solutions, as well as fiber optics and wireless communications. Southern Company brands are known for energy innovation, excellent customer service, high reliability and retail electric prices that are below the national average.

Through an industry-leading commitment to innovation, Southern Company and its subsidiaries are inventing America's energy future by developing the full portfolio of energy resources, including carbon-free nuclear, 21st century coal, natural gas, renewables and energy efficiency, and creating new products and services for the benefit of customers.

Southern Company has been named by the U.S. Department of Defense and G.I. Jobs magazine as a top military employer, recognized among the Top 50 Companies for Diversity by DiversityInc, listed by Black Enterprise magazine as one of the 40 Best Companies for Diversity and designated a Top Employer for Hispanics by Hispanic Network. The company has earned a National Award of Nuclear Science and History from the National Atomic Museum Foundation for its leadership and commitment to nuclear development and is continually ranked among the top utilities in Fortune's annual World's Most Admired Electric and Gas Utility rankings.

Corporate Responsibility

Throughout the history of Southern Company, our longstanding practice has been to keep customers at the center of every decision we make. We often use the phrase "bigger than our bottom line" to describe a deeply-rooted sense of community -- an obligation, if you will -- to make the lives of the families and businesses we serve better off because we're there.

We start at the local level, where we staff local offices with very clear objectives for providing value to customers: the best reliability at the best price with the best service possible.

We're also engaged in the communities we serve. We're active in schools and churches and in youth athletics. We are committed to be good stewards of our environment through sustainable practices, and we participate in collaborative partnerships to conserve natural habitat and protect wildlife.

But sustainability is not just an environmental concept. As employees of Southern Company, our responsibility is to provide clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy. Providing that foundation to the economy of the Southeast helps facilitate a truly sustainable business environment for our region.

That is our sense of mission and purpose, coupled with a strong conviction that the work we do really matters. And while the importance of our work may be evident when we're restoring power in the wake of a tornado or hurricane, there is much more to Southern Company than simply keeping the lights on. For the families and businesses we serve, we represent hope for a better quality of life and an energized economy. That's a big mission, and it's important that we succeed. I invite you to find out more concerning our progress toward this vision in the pages of this Corporate Responsibility Report.