ATLANTA – Southern Company yesterday set a new system peak demand record for electricity use, marking the first time in the company’s history that electricity demand exceeded 38,000 megawatts. On Thursday, Aug. 10, preliminary peak demand for electricity averaged approximately 38,056 megawatts between 3 and 4 p.m. Eastern Time.

Southern Company has set a new system peak demand record for electricity use four times in the last eight days. Yesterday’s record demand surpassed the previous peak record of 37,990 megawatts set three days earlier, on Aug. 7. Before that, the peak record was 37,886 megawatts set on Aug. 4, which surpassed the previous all-time system record of 37,760 megawatts set on Aug. 2.

With high temperatures continuing across the Southeast, the potential exists for additional demand records to be set this summer.

With 4.3 million customers and more than 40,000 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).