From the first rollover in the Philippines to the last one in California, Southern Company facilities made the transition to the Year 2000 with no problems in the systems that are critical to keeping the lights on for its customers.

The successful transition followed a four-year readiness effort that involved thousands of employees throughout the company.

“We entered New Year’s Eve with much confidence, and it proved to be well founded. Our resounding success speaks volumes about the work of the many Southern Company people who left no stone unturned in getting ready for this historic transition,” said Mike McClure, Southern Company’s Millennium Project executive.

Southern Company’s main challenges during the transition night were a few acts of vandalism – not necessarily related to Y2K – which caused minor damage power lines, resulting in isolated and relatively brief outages in Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi. Vandals overnight also damaged a Southern Company telecommunication fiber optics line, but caused no service interruptions.

Southern Company’s Y2K preparations will have ongoing value, McClure said, because the process included a thorough inventory of equipment that helped prioritize the items most critical to keeping the lights on. Additionally, many of the company’s Year 2000 repairs and replacements, including the deployment of common systems throughout Southern Company, will benefit its customers for years to come.