BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Oct. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern Nuclear Chairman, President and CEO Stephen Kuczynski announced today that Danny G. Bost has been elected chief nuclear officer, effective Oct. 17. Bost will be the executive responsible for the overall performance of Southern Nuclear's six operating plants.

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Bost will replace Jeff Gasser who has held the position since 2004. Gasser will report to the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) as a loaned executive. INPO is a non-profit corporation established by the nuclear utility industry to promote the highest levels of safety and reliability - to promote excellence - in the operation of nuclear electric generating facilities. In this role, Gasser will be able to share his diverse experience with the industry and gain insight into how other utilities operate.

Bost comes to Southern Nuclear from serving as a Nuclear Safety Review Board (NSRB) consultant where he conducted nuclear safety reviews at facilities operated by Detroit Edison, Exelon and First Energy since 2008.

Bost brings more than 30 years of experience in the nuclear industry to his new position. Prior to his NSRB consultant role, Bost was the site vice president of the Exelon's Dresden Generating Station. Exelon operates the largest nuclear generating fleet in the United States with 10 plant sites and 17 units.

Before that he held other leadership positions with Exelon, as station manager of Dresden and engineering director at LaSalle County Generating Station. He began his nuclear career in 1981 at Entergy's Grand Gulf Station where he served as engineering director and maintenance manager.

"Danny brings a breadth of experience in improving nuclear fleet performance and sustaining excellence," said Kuczynski. "That is Southern Nuclear's goal, and I look forward to his leadership to help improve our current fleet and support the building of the first new units in the U.S. in more than 30 years."  

Bost holds a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Mississippi State University. He is a registered Professional Engineer (PE) in the State of Mississippi, and he earned his Senior Reactor Operator (SRO) Certification in 1990. He is a native of Verona, MS.

"Jeff's experience and talent will be a tremendous asset to INPO and the entire nuclear industry,"

said Kuczynski.

Gasser began his career with Southern Company in 1983 and has held various leadership positions at Southern Nuclear including operations manager, general manager and vice president of Plant Vogtle.

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