BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Sept. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Plant operators safely took Unit 2 of the Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant offline shortly after 5 a.m. EDT on Sept. 18 for a scheduled refueling and maintenance outage. Unit 2 completed 528 days of continuous operation since its last refueling outage in the spring of 2010.

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Each unit at Plant Vogtle requires refueling every 18 months. Aside from refueling the reactor and performing regular maintenance and testing, workers also will replace a reactor coolant pump motor and one of three 800-ton low-pressure rotors in the Unit 2 turbine generator.

Plant Vogtle Unit 1 will continue to safely generate electricity while Unit 2 is offline and refueling.

About Southern Nuclear:

Southern Nuclear, a subsidiary of Southern Company, operates the Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant near Baxley, Ga., the Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant near Dothan, Ala. and the Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant near Waynesboro, Ga.

About Southern Company:

With 4.4 million customers and more than 42,000 megawatts of generating capacity, Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is the premier energy company serving the Southeast. A leading U.S. producer of electricity, Southern Company is the parent firm of electric utilities in four states and a growing competitive generation company, as well as fiber optics and wireless communications companies. Southern Company brands are known for excellent customer service, high reliability and retail electric prices that are below the national average. Southern Company was named the World's Most Admired Electric and Gas Utility by Fortune magazine in 2011, and is consistently listed among the top U.S. electric service providers in customer satisfaction by the American Customer Satisfaction Index. Visit our website at www.southerncompany.com.

www.southerncompany.com/southernnuclear

SOURCE Southern Company