Southern Company's Tom Fanning named Top CFO by Institutional Investor Magazine
PRNewswire-FirstCall
NYSE: SO

ATLANTA - March 18,2008 - Southern Company's former Chief Financial Officer and current Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Tom Fanning has been named the "Best CFO" in the Energy -- Electric Utilities Sector by Institutional Investor Magazine for 2008.

Fanning served as the company's executive vice president and chief financial officer and successfully led the company's financial operations from 2003 to 2008. He moved into his current position in February as part of Southern Company President and CEO David Ratcliffe's on-going efforts to further develop the next generation of Southern Company leaders. Former Southern Company Generation President Paul Bowers is now executive vice president and chief financial officer.

"We are pleased that Tom has been recognized for his outstanding contribution and superb leadership in his past role as CFO of Southern Company," said Ratcliffe. "This is just one example of the depth and quality of leadership we have throughout our company."

Institutional Investor's 2008 survey of America's Best CFOs identifies the top finance directors in each of 56 sectors. The results are based on the responses of some 675 investment professionals at 350 of the world's most influential money management firms.

About Southern Company

With nearly 4.4 million customers and more than 42,000 megawatts of generating capacity, Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is the premier energy company serving the Southeast, one of America's fastest-growing regions. A leading U.S. producer of 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 excellent customer service, high reliability and retail electric prices that are significantly below the national average. Southern Company has been listed the top ranking U.S. electric service provider in customer satisfaction for eight consecutive years by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Visit our Web site at http://www.southerncompany.com/ .

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Media Contact: Jason Cuevas, Southern Company Media Relations, +1.404.506.5333 or
+1.866.506.5333, media@southerncompany.com