BIRMINGHAM, Ala., March 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Employees of the Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant near Baxley, Ga., brought unit 2 back on-line Wednesday at 4:25 p.m. ET. The unit is producing electricity after a safe, scheduled refueling and maintenance outage.

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"Plant Hatch employees along with our Alliance partners and contract employees safely and successfully completed the scheduled unit 2 refueling outage," said Dennis Madison, Hatch site vice president. "With a relentless focus on nuclear and personnel safety, our goal is always to exceed standards in everything we do to produce safe, clean, reliable electricity. The maintenance and refueling activities performed during this outage demonstrated our commitment to excellence."

"I am proud of the local communities' response to the demands that occur when our site population increases during outages," Madison said. "Local hotels, restaurants and merchants all welcome the customer increase and work to meet their needs which in turn boosts the local economies."

Unit 2 will now continue to produce safe, reliable electricity for our customers until the next refueling outage in two years. Plant Hatch unit 1 continues to safely generate electricity at full power.

About Southern Nuclear:
Southern Nuclear, a subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), is one of the nation's leading nuclear energy facility operators. Producing safe, reliable and environmentally friendly nuclear energy, Southern Nuclear operates a total of six units for Alabama Power and Georgia Power at the Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant near Dothan, Ala.; the Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant near Baxley, Ga., and the Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant near Waynesboro, Ga. Southern Nuclear is the licensee of two new nuclear units currently under construction at Plant Vogtle, which will be the first nuclear units constructed in the United States in more than 30 years. Southern Nuclear employs more than 3,500 skilled and dedicated professionals who are committed each day to nuclear and personal safety and the health and safety of the public. The company's headquarters is based in Birmingham, Ala. Twitter: @SouthernNuclear. Facebook: facebook.com/southernnuclear.

About Southern Company:
With 4.4 million customers and more than 43,000 megawatts of generating capacity, Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is the premier energy company serving the Southeast through its subsidiaries. A leading U.S. producer of clean, safe, reliable and affordable 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 energy innovation, excellent customer service, high reliability and retail electric prices that are below the national average. Southern Company and its subsidiaries are leading the nation's nuclear renaissance through the construction of the first new nuclear units to be built in a generation of Americans and are demonstrating their commitment to energy innovation through the development of a state-of-the-art coal gasification plant. Southern Company has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Defense and G.I. Jobs magazine as a top military employer and listed by DiversityInc as a top company for Blacks. The company received the 2012 Edison Award from the Edison Electric Institute for its leadership in new nuclear development, was named Electric Light & Power magazine's Utility of the Year for 2012 and is continually ranked among the top utilities in Fortune's annual World's Most Admired Electric and Gas Utility rankings. Visit our website at www.southerncompany.com.

SOURCE Southern Company