ATLANTA - Southern Company today announced it set two new winter system peak demand records for electricity in two consecutive hours. On Tuesday, Jan. 7, between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. EST, preliminary peak demand for electricity averaged approximately 38,871 megawatts (MW). In the next hour, between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. EST, preliminary peak demand grew to 39,130 MW. This was 1,906 MW higher than Southern Company's previous winter peak - 37,224 MW - set Jan. 11, 2010.

On Tuesday morning, system temperature - the average temperature weighted across five cities in Southern Company's service territory - was 10 degrees Fahrenheit between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. and 12 degrees Fahrenheit between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m.

System peak demand is an indicator of what is required from Southern Company's generating plants - and how hard they are working - to maintain the reliable supply of electricity needed by customers. The peak demand number represents the average peak demand for electricity generated during a one-hour period and reflects the retail and wholesale obligations of Southern Company.

With 4.4 million customers and nearly 46,000 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.