The Savannah Electric board of directors today elected Anthony R. James as the company’s new president and CEO effective May 1, 2001. Ed Holland, president and CEO of Savannah Electric since 1997, has accepted the position of executive vice president and general counsel at Southern Company, Savannah Electric’s parent company.

Southern Company chairman, president and CEO, Allen Franklin praised both Holland and James on their new assignments. “Anthony James holds all of the personal characteristics that I believe are important for leaders to exhibit -- teamwork, high expectations and clear accountability, personal integrity, development of people, fair selections and diversity,” Franklin said. “Anthony`s leadership abilities will contribute to Savannah Electric`s ongoing success.” Franklin continued, “By promoting Ed to Southern Company, we continue to build a strong management team while putting a more effective structure in place. Ed’s operating company experience and his legal background will help us become a leading-edge, growing company in keeping with our best traditions.”

James currently serves as Savannah Electric’s vice president, power generation and senior production officer as well as central cluster manager for one of Savannah Electric’s sister companies, Georgia Power. His responsibilities at Georgia Power involve managing a group of key power plants in the central portion of the state. He will relinquish those duties after assuming the new role in Savannah.

An electrical engineering graduate from the University of South Florida, James has worked in the Southern Company system since 1978. He has broad experience in the areas of power plant management, safety and health, corporate office, employee benefits and wholesale power marketing. He came to Savannah Electric July 1, 2000.

James, 50, and his wife, Sheila have one grown son.

Holland is a graduate of Auburn University and the University of Virginia School of Law. From 1992 until joining Savannah Electric, Holland served as a vice president at another Southern Company subsidiary, Gulf Power. Prior to joining Southern Company, he was a partner in the Pensacola law firm of Beggs and Lane, where he served as general counsel to Gulf Power. He is active in local civic activities and has served on numerous boards and committees. Holland is also a member of the Boards of Directors of Southeastern Electric Exchange (SEE), Edison Electric Institute (EEI), Association of Edison Illuminating Companies (AEIC) and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI).

In addition to filling the role of general counsel for Southern Company, Holland’s new duties in Atlanta will include oversight of all information resource and human resource functions as well as the quickly evolving electricity transmission segment.

Savannah Electric serves approximately 132,000 customers in a five county area of Southeast Georgia. The company’s nearly 600 employees are dedicated to providing customers with affordable, reliable electrical service. As a subsidiary of Southern Company, Savannah Electric is backed by one of the largest energy companies in the nation.