Southern Energy Inc., a unit of Southern Company, has announced a series of executive promotions and new assignments in its growing North America Group. Randy Harrison moves from vice president for North American business development to chief executive officer of the newly formed Southern Energy California; Craig S. Lesser moves from corporate vice president to CEO of the newly formed Southern Energy New York; and Henry T. E. Coolidge Jr. becomes CEO of Southern Energy New England.

In addition, Anne M. Cleary moves from director of market analysis to director of North American business development, and Alan W. Harrelson moves from vice president of North American business units to vice president of construction for Southern Energy. Harrison, Lesser, Coolidge and Cleary will report to Gale E. Klappa, senior vice president of Southern Energy and president of the company’s North America Group. Harrelson will report to Southern Energy Executive Vice President Richard J. Pershing.

Southern Energy California includes power plants with 3,065 megawatts of generating capacity that Southern Energy recently agreed to purchase in the San Francisco area from Pacific Gas & Electric. Southern Energy New York includes power stations totaling 1,776 megawatts in the New York City area that Southern Energy has agreed to purchase from Orange and Rockland Utilities and Consolidated Edison. Southern Energy New England includes 1,267 megawatts of generating capacity consisting of power stations in Massachusetts and part of a power plant in Maine, all recently purchased from Commonwealth Energy System and Eastern Utilities Associates.

Southern Energy and its newly formed subsidiaries will manage the newly acquired power plants, and their output will be marketed by Southern Company Energy Marketing, the company’s energy trading and marketing unit.

“These new assignments reflect the rapid and significant growth of Southern Energy’s North America group as we pursue our strategy of acquiring power generation assets in the top energy markets of the United States,” said Southern Energy President and CEO Tom Boren. “The power markets in New England, California and New York are some of the fastest-growing in the nation, and a major presence in these markets is critical to our future success.

“Expansions and improvements at the plants we are purchasing, along with new power plants we will build in a number of states, give our construction division a much greater role in Southern Energy’s operations,” he said.

Harrison, 47, who has been responsible for acquiring and developing Southern Energy’s assets in North America, also has served as Southern Energy’s international project engineering manager, providing technical direction of the company’s acquisitions in South America and the Caribbean. He also has served in a number of management and operations positions at Southern Company’s Georgia Power subsidiary in the fossil and hydro power generation divisions and in management training positions in the human resources division. He holds a master’s degree in business administration from Georgia State University.

Lesser, 47, became Southern Energy’s corporate vice president in 1998 after serving as vice president for governmental and regulatory affairs at Georgia Power. He has served in a number of management positions at Georgia Power, including manager of regulatory affairs, manager of legislative affairs, Washington representative and manager of media relations. He holds a bachelor’s degree in speech and theater from the State University of New York at Oneonta and is a graduate of Harvard University’s Advanced Management International Senior Managers’ program.

Coolidge, 39, who became president of Southern Energy’s New England operations in November 1998, previously was president of the Power Generation Company of Trinidad and Tobago, a Southern Energy affiliate. He also has directed Southern Energy’s operations and maintenance group and has served in a number of positions at Southern Company’s Mississippi Power subsidiary, including plant manager and senior power plant maintenance engineer. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Mississippi State University.

Cleary, 38, has been responsible for pricing and analysis of asset acquisitions, revenue projections and market analysis for Southern Energy’s North American assets. Previously, she served as Southern Energy’s western market analysis manager, specializing in risk management and wholesale energy marketing. She also has worked in a number of planning and analysis positions at Southern Company Services, another Southern Company subsidiary, and as a senior engineer at Georgia Power. She holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a master’s degree in business administration from Auburn University.

Harrelson, 50, who has been responsible for the operational and financial performance of Southern Energy’s assets in North America, previously served as executive director of operations for South Western Electricity, a Southern Energy affiliate based in Bristol, England, and in a number of positions at Georgia Power, including general manager of power delivery and manager of facilities planning. He holds a law degree from Atlanta Law School and a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Southern Energy Inc. develops, builds, owns and operates power production and delivery facilities and provides a broad range of services to utilities and industrial companies around the world. Southern Energy supplies electricity in 10 countries on four continents. Its Southern Company Energy Marketing unit provides energy trading, marketing and financial services and other energy-related commodities, products and services to customers in North America.

Southern Company (NYSE: SO), the largest producer of electricity in the United States, is also the parent firm of Alabama Power, Georgia Power, Gulf Power, Mississippi Power and Savannah Electric.