ATLANTA – Southern Company Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Allen Franklin has appointed Susan Story to the company’s management council. Story was elected president and chief executive officer of Gulf Power Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Southern Company, by the Gulf Power board of directors today.

Story is currently the executive vice president of engineering and construction services for Southern Company Generation and Energy Marketing in Birmingham. She has more than 20 years experience in the utility industry, including a number of executive positions with Alabama Power Company, another wholly-owned subsidiary of Southern Company.

“Susan Story is a proven leader and she will be a great asset to Gulf Power and the communities of Northwest Florida,” Franklin said. “As a member of our management council, Susan’s energy and insights will be of significant value to our shareholders.”

Story has a bachelor of science degree in Industrial Engineering from Auburn University and a master’s of business administration from the University of Alabama in Birmingham.

For additional information on Susan Story, visit the Gulf Power Web site at www.gulfpower.com.

With 4 million customers and nearly 37,000 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 electric utilities in four states, a growing competitive generation company, an energy services business and a competitive retail natural gas 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 2003 “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. Visit the Southern Company Web site at www.southerncompany.com.