ATLANTA – Southern Company Chairman, President and CEO David Ratcliffe will deliver a keynote address to the Coal Utilization Research Council Forum on Monday, Feb. 5, in Washington, D.C.

With the challenges of growing demand for electricity worldwide amid issues such as climate change, Ratcliffe will outline Southern Company’s ongoing initiatives to research and develop new and advanced technologies that will lead to lower emissions and cleaner production of electricity while helping maintain coal as a viable fuel source for the future.

With 4.3 million customers and more than 41,000 megawatts of generating capacity, Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is the premier energy company serving the Southeast, one of America’s fastest-growing regions. A leading U.S. producer of electricity, Southern Company owns electric utilities in four states and a growing competitive generation company, 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 significantly below the national average. Southern Company has received the highest ranking in customer satisfaction among U.S. electric service providers for seven consecutive years by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Visit our Web site at www.southerncompany.com.