Jerry Stewart has been named executive vice president and chief production officer of Southern Company Generation and Energy Marketing, a business unit of Southern Company that works to manage and generate electricity for the company’s retail customers and markets energy in the competitive wholesale supply business.

In his new position, Stewart will be responsible for the operation of Southern Company’s fossil and hydro generating fleet. In addition, he will lead the Technical Services group, which provides technical support to the generating plants.

“With his years of experience in plant operations and his leadership skills, Jerry is a key member of our management team,” said Paul Bowers, president of Southern Company Generation and Energy Marketing. “Jerry is responsible for a part of our business that is vitally important to Southern Company’s growth during the next several years.”

A native of Gadsden, Ala., Stewart resides in Birmingham. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Alabama. He began his employment as a junior engineer at the Barry Steam Plant, owned and operated by Alabama Power, a Southern Company subsidiary.

After progressing through various positions in plant operations at Alabama Power, Stewart joined Southern Company Services in 1991 as manager, power and system engineering. In 1992, he was promoted to vice president of fuel services and remained in that position until his selection as senior vice president, Southern Company Generation and Energy Marketing/Alabama Power, the job he held prior to today’s promotion.

Southern Company’s fast-growing competitive generation business in the Southeast is a major component of the company’s total energy business in the region, with a goal of doubling the annual earnings from this part of the business by 2005. By the end of 2003, Southern Company will have more than 5,000 megawatts of competitive generation in operation.

With 4 million customers and nearly 35,000 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 been named No. 1 on Fortune magazine’s 2002 “America’s Most Admired Companies” list in the Electric and Gas Utility industry. Southern Company has more than 500,000 shareholders, making its common stock one of the most widely held in the United States.