ATLANTA – Southern Company has named Ellen Lindemann senior vice president of environmental projects and construction for Southern Company Generation. In her new role, Lindemann will direct a $6 billion environmental upgrade program scheduled for Southern Company’s coal-fired power plants over the next several years.

“Meeting or surpassing all environmental laws and regulations is the foundation of our environmental commitment. And, balancing the growing needs of our customers with our continuing efforts to minimize our impact on the environment is one of our greatest challenges,” said Paul Bowers, president of Southern Company Generation. “Ellen is the right person to help us meet that challenge and our commitment.”

Lindemann’s primary responsibilities include overseeing the selection of the appropriate environmental technologies, management of project schedules and costs, craft labor management and construction completion. Once complete, the company’s multi-billion dollar investment will lead to additional reductions in emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, as well as significantly lower mercury emissions.

“Over the next decade, we will be undertaking a monumental effort to equip many of our plants with the latest environmental technologies,” said Ed Day, executive vice president of engineering and construction services for Southern Company Generation. “It will be an extremely exciting but challenging time for our company.”

Southern Company has already invested nearly $2 billion since the early 1990s to lower emissions by nearly 40 percent from its power plants during a period when demand for energy was rising more than 30 percent. The company has installed 13 selective catalytic reduction systems (SCRs) to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides. Over the next decade, the company plans to invest in as many as a dozen additional SCRs and approximately two dozen scrubbers to lower emissions of sulfur dioxide.

Lindemann joined Southern Company in 1978 as a junior engineer supporting power plants and construction projects with civil engineering design. She has served in various roles and organizations – including power delivery, procurement and marketing – throughout the company, including her most recent role as chief people officer. She has a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Illinois and a master’s in civil engineering from Michigan State University.

With more than 4 million customers and more than 40,000 megawatts of generating capacity, Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is the premier super-regional energy company in the Southeast and a leading U.S. producer of electricity. Southern Company owns electric utilities in four states, a growing competitive generation company and a competitive retail natural gas business, 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 15 percent below the national average. Southern Company has been ranked the nation`s top energy utility in the American Customer Satisfaction Index six years in a row. Southern Company has more than 500,000 shareholders, making its common stock one of the most widely held in the United States. Visit the Southern Company Web site at www.southerncompany.com.