Southern Nuclear Files for Combined Construction and Operating License on Behalf...

Southern Nuclear Files for Combined Construction and Operating License on
Behalf of Owners of Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., March 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Southern Nuclear
Operating Company today filed an application with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) for a Combined Construction and Operating License (COL) on
behalf of the owners of the Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant near
Waynesboro, Ga. Plant Vogtle is owned by Georgia Power, Oglethorpe Power
Corporation, the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia and Dalton Utilities.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020207/SOCOLOGO )
The COL is another step in the NRC's new, streamlined licensing process
designed to reduce regulatory uncertainty by completing the process in stages.
A COL is a one-step licensing process by which the NRC approves and issues a
license to build and operate a new nuclear power plant. Submitting this
application does not commit the owners to build new units, but is part of the
licensing process should they decide that nuclear power is the best option for
providing additional generation.
The COL process involves evaluating an NRC certified plant design at a
specific site. The Plant Vogtle owners have selected Westinghouse AP1000
technology for two additional units at the plant site. The NRC certified the
AP1000 design after nearly 20 years of analysis by technical experts. Southern
Nuclear applied for an Early Site Permit (ESP) for Plant Vogtle in August
2006. Georgia Power also would need approval from the Georgia Public Service
Commission before making a final decision to build the new units. Bids to meet
the demand for electricity in the 2016-2017 timeframe are due May 1 to the
Georgia Public Service Commission.
"We expect demand for electricity in the Southeast, specifically in
Georgia, to increase significantly by 2015 and beyond," said Southern Nuclear
President and CEO Barnie Beasley. "Nuclear power is a safe, reliable, cost-
effective power source that has a low impact on the environment. Submitting
this COL application preserves nuclear energy as an option to meet future
electricity needs."
Southern Nuclear, a subsidiary of Southern Company, operates Plant
Vogtle's two existing nuclear power units for the plant owners. Southern
Nuclear also operates the Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant near Baxley, Ga. and
the Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant near Dothan, Ala.
Georgia Power is the largest subsidiary of Southern Company, one of the
nation's largest generators of electricity. The company is an investor-owned,
tax-paying utility with rates well below the national average. Georgia Power
serves 2.3 million customers in all but four of Georgia's 159 counties.
Oglethorpe Power Corporation is a $4.9 billion power supply cooperative
serving 38 Electric Membership Corporations (EMCs) in Georgia. These EMCs
provide retail electric service to more than 4.1 million Georgians throughout
the state. Oglethorpe Power is the nation's largest electric cooperative in
terms of assets, annual kilowatt-hour sales and ultimate consumers served.
The Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia (MEAG Power), headquartered in
Atlanta, is a public generation and transmission corporation providing power
to 49 Georgia communities with annual electric sales in excess of $721 million
and more than 10 million megawatt hours of delivered energy in 2006. MEAG
Power has assets of more than $4.9 billion, co-owns four generating plants
with a generating capacity of 1,566 megawatts and has sole ownership of a
combined cycle facility with a generating capacity of 503 megawatts.
Established in 1889, Dalton Utilities provides water, wastewater, electric
and natural gas services to Dalton/Whitfield County and portions of Whitfield,
Murray, Gordon, Catoosa and Floyd counties. In 1999, Dalton Utilities'
OptiLink division began offering broadband connectivity, cable television,
telephone and Internet for area homes and businesses. Dalton Utilities serves
approximately 73,000 customers.
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 www.southerncompany.com.
SOURCE Southern Company

Beth Thomas of Southern Company, +1-205-992-5395, enweathe@southernco.com