Southern Company today announced a regular quarterly dividend of 331/2 cents per share on the company’s common stock, payable March 6, 2002, to shareholders of record Feb. 4, 2002.

This marks the 217th consecutive quarter – dating back to 1948 – that Southern Company will have paid a dividend to its shareholders. The quarterly dividend equals an annual rate of $1.34 per share.

With nearly 4 million customers and more than 34,000 megawatts of generating capacity, Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is the premier super-regional energy company in the Southeast and a leading U.S. producer of electricity. Southern Company owns five electric utilities, a fast-growing competitive generation company and an energy services business, 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 15 percent below the national average. Southern Company has more than 500,000 shareholders, making its common stock one of the most widely held in the United States. Visit the Southern Company Web site at www.southerncompany.com.