Plant Hatch Unit 1 Safely Returns to Service Following Planned Refueling and Maintenance Outage

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Mar 26, 2012, 01:52 ET

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., March 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Unit 1 of the Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant near Baxley, Ga. has resumed generating electricity after a scheduled refueling and maintenance outage was completed safely and efficiently. Electricity production resumed March 21 at 8:03 p.m. ET. The refueling outage began Feb. 13, 2012.

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During this outage, routine maintenance and refueling activities took place as well as several equipment reliability improvements and system upgrade projects, including replacement of the main turbine low pressure rotor.

Also during the outage, Plant Hatch Unit 2 continued to safely generate electricity.

"Plant Hatch safely and successfully completing the Unit 1 scheduled outage was possible thanks to the dedication and commitment of excellence by Southern Nuclear employees, our Alliance partners and contractor employees," said Dennis Madison, Hatch site vice president. "Unit 1 will now continue to produce safe, reliable electricity for our customers for the next two years."

About Southern Nuclear:
Southern Nuclear, a subsidiary of Southern Company, operates the Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant near Baxley, Ga., the Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant near Dothan, Ala. and the Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant near Waynesboro, Ga.

About Southern Company:
With 4.4 million customers and more than 42,000 megawatts of generating capacity, Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is the premier energy company serving the Southeast. A leading U.S. producer of electricity, Southern Company owns electric utilities in four states and a growing competitive generation company, as well as fiber optics and wireless communications. Southern Company brands are known for excellent customer service, high reliability and retail electric prices that are below the national average. Southern Company was named the World's Most Admired Electric and Gas Utility by Fortune magazine in 2011, and is consistently listed among the top U.S. electric service providers in customer satisfaction by the American Customer Satisfaction Index. Visit our website at www.southerncompany.com.

SOURCE Southern Company