ATLANTA, Dec. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern Company (NYSE: SO) was named "Power Company of the Year" at the Platts 2011 Global Energy Awards ceremony in New York Thursday night. The recognition honors Southern Company as the leading power company in the world for 2011.

Southern Company was evaluated on its "successful development and implementation of a strategic plan that optimizes performance and growth while taking an aggressive, proactive approach toward a radically altered business and trading environment."  Specific judging criteria included customer care and satisfaction, effective risk management, financial results, innovation, operational excellence, safety, security, and strategic vision.

"Southern Company is truly honored," said Thomas A. Fanning, chairman, president and CEO, Southern Company. "This award reflects the dedication, innovation and commitment of Southern Company's 26,000 employees who make thousands of great decisions everyday – all for the benefit of our customers, allowing us to provide reliable, affordable electric service."

Southern Company was among nine finalists chosen from a list of more than 200 nominations, based on their performance for each category's criteria within the designated timeframe. The company was selected from the overall list of finalists by an independent panel of judges, including former regulators, past heads of major energy companies, leading academics and international energy experts.

Southern Company is consistently recognized as an industry leader in customer satisfaction and operational excellence. The company operates one of the safest and most reliable fleet of electric generating facilities in the world and is currently the first U.S. utility in more than three decades to build a new nuclear power plant.  Southern Company enjoys the highest market cap in the industry while also being known for its robust research and developmental program. 

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.

SOURCE Southern Company