Southern Company reports 2011 fourth quarter and full-year earnings

Southern Company today reported fourth quarter 2011 earnings of $261 million, or 30 cents a share, compared with earnings of $153 million, or 18 cents a share, in the fourth quarter of 2010. Southern Company also reported full-year 2011 earnings of $2.20 billion, or $2.57 a share, compared with earnings for 2010 of $1.97 billion, or $2.37 a share.

Earnings for the quarter and the full year were positively influenced by regulatory actions — primarily at subsidiary Georgia Power — that became effective in 2011, as well as operating results at Southern Power, Southern Company’s competitive generation subsidiary. Earnings were negatively affected by weather that was closer to normal in 2011 than it had been in 2010.

“In a year filled with challenges, our employees continued to deliver results on behalf of the customers and communities we serve,” said Thomas A. Fanning, Southern Company chairman, president and chief executive officer. “They are helping to fulfill Southern Company’s $20 billion commitment to build the energy future of the Southeast, a process that is expected to grow more than 250,000 jobs, according to analysis by the University of West Georgia.”

For more information, visit www.southerncompany.com.