BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Oct. 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Plant operators safely took Plant Hatch Unit 2 offline around midnight Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011 for a scheduled maintenance outage. The primary focus of the maintenance outage is to replace a relief valve inside the drywall of containment.

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Plant Hatch Unit 1 will continue to safely generate electricity while Unit 2 is offline. 

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. www.southerncompany.com/southernnuclear

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 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 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.

SOURCE Southern Company