SPURR and REMAC, two groups of California public school districts, have selected Southern Electric International Inc. to develop and implement a strategy to reduce electricity costs, Southern Electric President Tom Boren announced today.

SPURR, the School Project for Utility Rate Reduction, manages utility purchases and money-saving programs for northern California school districts, while REMAC, the Regional Energy Management Coalition, operates similar programs in Southern California. SPURR and REMAC’s districts contain about 4,000 schools ranging in grade from kindergarten through community college, as well as 20 county offices of education.

“Southern Electric was selected from more than 30 electric service providers,” said Jim Solberg, managing director for SPURR and REMAC. “Its assistance with technical issues and 20 years experience serving schools in a competitive retail environment were important considerations.”

SPURR and REMAC entered the arrangement with Southern Electric in anticipation of the opening of the California electricity market to competition, beginning in 1998. SPURR and REMAC currently buy natural gas on behalf of their member school districts.

Southern Electric will assist SPURR and REMAC in implementing electricity purchasing strategies designed to take advantage of new, lower pricing structures emerging in the increasingly competitive California electricity market.

In addition, Southern Electric will employ its Enet (pronounced ee-net) meter-linked information services to help manage SPURR and REMAC’s electricity purchases in a competitive market for electricity.

“Enet will provide SPURR and REMAC with a menu of information services that will allow more targeted, customized reports and procedures to better manage each school’s electricity usage,” said Bill Roth, Southern Electric’s director of marketing.

Southern Electric, a unit of Southern Company, develops, builds, owns and operates power production facilities and provides a broad range of technical services to industry, consumers and utilities in the U.S. and international markets. Through its Southern Energy Marketing affiliate, Southern Electric also markets wholesale electricity and related financial services across the United States. Among its operations are large generating, transmission and distribution companies in the United Kingdom, Chile and Argentina.

Southern Company (NYSE: SO), the nation’s largest producer of electricity, is also the parent firm of five electric utilities: Alabama Power, Georgia Power, Gulf Power, Mississippi Power and Savannah Electric. Other subsidiaries include Southern Communications Services, Southern Development and Investment Group and Southern Company Services. Southern Company’s common stock is one of the 20 most widely held corporate stocks in America.