Southern Company, one of the largest producers of energy, announced today that its coal, nuclear, hydro and gas plants have set a new record for equivalent forced outage rates during the peak season, which runs from June through August.

The new 1.93 percent rate, its lowest ever, represents Southern Company’s dedication to high reliability standards and maintenance quality. Equivalent forced outage rates (EFOR) represent the number of hours a unit is forced off line, compared to the number of hours a unit is running. For example, an EFOR of 2 percent means a unit or plant is forced off 2 percent of its running time.

“We have focused on operational excellence and we are seeing the results of that focus. We are truly the world’s best at running power plants,” said Paul Bowers, president of Southern Company Generation and Energy Marketing.

Southern Company’s previous best EFOR was 2.46 percent, set in 2000.

Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is a super-regional energy company with more than 32,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity in the Southeast. It is one of the largest producers of electricity in the United States. Southern Company is the parent firm of Alabama Power, Georgia Power, Gulf Power, Mississippi Power, Savannah Electric, Southern Nuclear, Southern Company Energy Solutions, Southern LINC, Southern Telecom and Southern Power, which includes the company`s growing competitive generation business in the Southeast. Southern Company brands are synonymous with excellent customer service, high reliability and retail electric prices that are 15 percent below the national average. With more than 500,000 shareholders, Southern Company common stock is one of the most widely held stocks in the United States.