Southern Company 10-Q 2024-03-31

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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

☑ QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)

OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2024

OR

☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)

OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from to

(A Delaware Corporation)

30 Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard, N.W.

Atlanta, Georgia 30308

(404) 506-5000

(An Alabama Corporation)

600 North 18th Street

Birmingham, Alabama 35203

(205) 257-1000

(A Georgia Corporation)

241 Ralph McGill Boulevard, N.E.

Atlanta, Georgia 30308

(404) 506-6526

(A Mississippi Corporation)

2992 West Beach Boulevard

Gulfport, Mississippi 39501

(228) 864-1211

(A Delaware Corporation)

30 Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard, N.W.

Atlanta, Georgia 30308

(404) 506-5000

(A Georgia Corporation)

Ten Peachtree Place, N.E.

Atlanta, Georgia 30309

(404) 584-4000

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Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Indicate by check mark whether the registrants (1) have filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrants were required to file such reports), and (2) have been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes þ No ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrants have submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrants were required to submit such files). Yes þ No ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer," "smaller reporting company," and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No þ (Response applicable to all registrants.)

This combined Form 10-Q is separately filed by The Southern Company, Alabama Power Company, Georgia Power Company, Mississippi Power Company, Southern Power Company, and Southern Company Gas. Information contained herein relating to any individual registrant is filed by such registrant on its own behalf. Each registrant makes no representation as to information relating to the other registrants.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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DEFINITIONS

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DEFINITIONS

(continued)

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DEFINITIONS

(continued)

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CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning regulated rates, the strategic goals for the business, customer and sales growth, economic conditions, including inflation, cost recovery and other rate actions, current and proposed environmental regulations and related compliance plans and estimated expenditures, pending or potential litigation matters, access to sources of capital, financing activities, completion dates and costs of construction projects, matters related to the abandonment of the Kemper IGCC, filings with state and federal regulatory authorities, and estimated construction plans and expenditures. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "may," "will," "could," "would," "should," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "projects," "predicts," "potential," or "continue" or the negative of these terms or other similar terminology. There are various factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those suggested by the forward-looking statements; accordingly, there can be no assurance that such indicated results will be realized. These factors include:

• the impact of recent and future federal and state regulatory changes, including tax, environmental, and other laws and regulations to which Southern Company and its subsidiaries are subject, as well as changes in application of existing laws and regulations;

• the extent and timing of costs and legal requirements related to CCR;

• current and future litigation or regulatory investigations, proceedings, or inquiries, including litigation and other disputes related to the Kemper County energy facility and Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4;

• the effects, extent, and timing of the entry of additional competition in the markets in which Southern Company's subsidiaries operate, including from the development and deployment of alternative energy sources;

• variations in demand for electricity and natural gas;

• available sources and costs of natural gas and other fuels and commodities;

• the ability to complete necessary or desirable pipeline expansion or infrastructure projects, limits on pipeline capacity, public and policymaker support for such projects, and operational interruptions to natural gas distribution and transmission activities;

• transmission constraints;

• the ability to control costs and avoid cost and schedule overruns during the development, construction, and operation of facilities or other projects due to challenges which include, but are not limited to, changes in labor costs, availability, and productivity; challenges with the management of contractors or vendors; subcontractor performance; adverse weather conditions; shortages, delays, increased costs, or inconsistent quality of equipment, materials, and labor; contractor or supplier delay; the impacts of inflation; delays due to judicial or regulatory action; nonperformance under construction, operating, or other agreements; operational readiness, including specialized operator training and required site safety programs; engineering or design problems or any remediation related thereto; design and other licensing-based compliance matters; challenges with start-up activities, including major equipment failure, or system integration; and/or operational performance; challenges related to pandemic health events; continued public and policymaker support for projects; environmental and geological conditions; delays or increased costs to interconnect facilities to transmission grids; and increased financing costs as a result of changes in interest rates or as a result of project delays;

• legal proceedings and regulatory approvals and actions related to past, ongoing, and proposed construction projects, including PSC approvals and FERC and NRC actions;

• the ability to construct facilities in accordance with the requirements of permits and licenses, to satisfy any environmental performance standards and the requirements of tax credits and other incentives, and to integrate facilities into the Southern Company system upon completion of construction;

• investment performance of the employee and retiree benefit plans and nuclear decommissioning trust funds;

• advances in technology, including the pace and extent of development of low- to no-carbon energy and battery energy storage technologies and negative carbon concepts;

• performance of counterparties under ongoing renewable energy partnerships and development agreements;

• state and federal rate regulations and the impact of pending and future rate cases and negotiations, including rate actions relating to ROE, equity ratios, additional generating capacity, and fuel and other cost recovery mechanisms;

• the ability to successfully operate the traditional electric operating companies' and SEGCO's generation, transmission, and distribution facilities, Southern Power's generation facilities, and Southern Company Gas' natural gas distribution and storage facilities and the successful performance of necessary corporate functions;

• the inherent risks involved in operating nuclear generating facilities;

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CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

(continued)

• the inherent risks involved in generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity and transportation and storage of natural gas, including accidents, explosions, fires, mechanical problems, discharges or releases of toxic or hazardous substances or gases, and other environmental risks;

• the performance of projects undertaken by the non-utility businesses and the success of efforts to invest in and develop new opportunities;

• internal restructuring or other restructuring options that may be pursued;

• potential business strategies, including acquisitions or dispositions of assets or businesses, which cannot be assured to be completed or beneficial to Southern Company or its subsidiaries;

• the ability of counterparties of Southern Company and its subsidiaries to make payments as and when due and to perform as required;

• the ability to obtain new short- and long-term contracts with wholesale customers;

• the direct or indirect effect on the Southern Company system's business resulting from cyber intrusion or physical attack and the threat of cyber and physical attacks;

• global and U.S. economic conditions, including impacts from geopolitical conflicts, recession, inflation, interest rate fluctuations, and financial market conditions, and the results of financing efforts;

• access to capital markets and other financing sources;

• changes in Southern Company's and any of its subsidiaries' credit ratings;

• the ability of the traditional electric operating companies to obtain additional generating capacity (or sell excess generating capacity) at competitive prices;

• catastrophic events such as fires, earthquakes, explosions, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes and other storms, droughts, pandemic health events, political unrest, wars, or other similar occurrences;

• the direct or indirect effects on the Southern Company system's business resulting from incidents affecting the U.S. electric grid, natural gas pipeline infrastructure, or operation of generating or storage resources;

• impairments of goodwill or long-lived assets;

• the effect of accounting pronouncements issued periodically by standard-setting bodies; and

• other factors discussed elsewhere herein and in other reports (including the Form 10-K) filed by the Registrants from time to time with the SEC.

The Registrants expressly disclaim any obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

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PART I

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THE SOUTHERN COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARY COMPANIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (UNAUDITED)

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The following Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations is a combined presentation; however, information contained herein relating to any individual Registrant is filed by such Registrant on its own behalf and each Registrant makes no representation as to information related to the other Registrants.

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MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION

AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

OVERVIEW

Southern Company is a holding company that owns all of the common stock of three traditional electric operating companies (Alabama Power, Georgia Power, and Mississippi Power), Southern Power, and Southern Company Gas and owns other direct and indirect subsidiaries. The primary businesses of the Southern Company system are electricity sales by the traditional electric operating companies and Southern Power and the distribution of natural gas by Southern Company Gas. Southern Company's reportable segments are the sale of electricity by the traditional electric operating companies, the sale of electricity in the competitive wholesale market by Southern Power, and the sale of natural gas and other complementary products and services by Southern Company Gas. Southern Company Gas' reportable segments are gas distribution operations, gas pipeline investments, and gas marketing services. See Note (L) to the Condensed Financial Statements herein for additional information on segment reporting. Alabama Power, Georgia Power, and Mississippi Power each operate with one reportable business segment, since substantially all of their business is providing electric service to customers. Southern Power also operates its business with one reportable business segment, the sale of electricity in the competitive wholesale market. For additional information on the Registrants' primary business activities, see BUSINESS – "The Southern Company System" in Item 1 of the Form 10-K.

The Registrants continue to focus on several key performance indicators. For the traditional electric operating companies and Southern Company Gas, these indicators include, but are not limited to, customer satisfaction, plant availability, electric and natural gas system reliability, and execution of major construction projects. Southern Company Gas also continues to focus on several operating metrics, including Heating Degree Days, customer count, and volumes of natural gas sold. Southern Company Gas measures weather and the effect on its business using Heating Degree Days. Generally, increased Heating Degree Days result in higher demand for natural gas on Southern Company Gas' distribution system. For Southern Power, key performance indicators include, but are not limited to, the equivalent forced outage rate and contract availability to evaluate operating results and help ensure its ability to meet its contractual commitments to customers. In addition, Southern Company and the Subsidiary Registrants focus on earnings per share and net income, respectively, as a key performance indicator.

Recent Developments

Georgia Power

Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 Construction and Start-Up Status

Georgia Power placed Plant Vogtle Unit 3 in service on July 31, 2023 and placed Plant Vogtle Unit 4 in service on April 29, 2024 (each with electric generating capacity of approximately 1,100 MWs), in each of which it holds a 45.7% ownership interest. Georgia Power's share of the total project capital cost forecast, including demobilizing the site after Unit 4's in-service date, is $10.8 billion. See Note (B) to the Condensed Financial Statements under "Georgia Power – Nuclear Construction" herein for additional information.

Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 Regulatory Matters

Georgia Power included in retail rate base $5.462 billion of construction and capital costs as well as $647 million of associated retail rate base items effective with the April 29, 2024 in-service date for Unit 4, pursuant to the approved Prudency Stipulation. Annual retail base revenues increased approximately $730 million and the average retail base rates were adjusted by approximately 5% (net of the elimination of the NCCR tariff described below) effective May 1, 2024.

Further, as included in the approved Prudency Stipulation, since commercial operation for Unit 4 was not achieved by March 31, 2024, Georgia Power's ROE used to determine the NCCR tariff and calculate AFUDC was reduced to zero effective April 1, 2024. Effective May 1, 2024, following commercial operation of Unit 4, Georgia Power's NCCR tariff was eliminated and related financing costs are included in Georgia Power's general retail revenue requirements and collected through retail base rates.

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MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION

AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS (Continued)

See Note (B) to the Condensed Financial Statements under "Georgia Power – Nuclear Construction – Regulatory Matters" herein for additional information.

Integrated Resource Plan

On April 16, 2024, the Georgia PSC approved Georgia Power's updated IRP (2023 IRP Update) as modified by a stipulated agreement among Georgia Power, the staff of the Georgia PSC, and certain intervenors, which includes the authority to develop, own, and operate up to 1,400 MWs from three simple cycle combustion turbines at Plant Yates. See Note (B) to the Condensed Financial Statements under "Georgia Power – Integrated Resource Plan" herein for additional information.

Mississippi Power

On April 26, 2024, Mississippi Power filed its 2024 IRP with the Mississippi PSC. The filing includes a schedule to retire Plant Watson Unit 4 (268 MWs) and Plant Greene County Units 1 and 2 (206 MWs based on 40% ownership) and to retire early Plant Daniel Units 1 and 2 (502 MWs based on 50% ownership), all by the end of 2028. The 2024 IRP is subject to review by the Mississippi PSC and is expected to conclude in the third quarter 2024.

On March 29, 2024, Mississippi Power filed a request with the FERC for an $8 million increase in annual wholesale base revenues under the MRA tariff and requested an effective date of May 29, 2024. On April 19, 2024, Cooperati

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During the three months ended March 31, 2024, there were no material changes to Southern Company's, Alabama Power's, Georgia Power's, Mississippi Power's, Southern Power's, or Southern Company Gas' disclosures about market risk. For an in-depth discussion of each Registrant's market risks, see MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS – FINANCIAL CONDITION AND LIQUIDITY – "Market Price Risk" in Item 7 of the Form 10-K and Note 1 to the financial statements under "Financial Instruments" and Notes 13 and 14 to the financial statements in Item 8 of the Form 10-K, as well as Notes (I) and (J) to the Condensed Financial Statements herein.

(a)Evaluation of disclosure controls and procedures.

As of the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, Southern Company, Alabama Power, Georgia Power, Mississippi Power, Southern Power, and Southern Company Gas conducted separate evaluations under the supervision and with the participation of each company's management, including the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of the disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended). Based upon these evaluations, the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer, in each case, concluded that the disclosure controls and procedures are effective.

(b) Changes in internal control over financial reporting.

There have been no changes in Southern Company's, Alabama Power's, Georgia Power's, Mississippi Power's, Southern Power's, or Southern Company Gas' internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) during the first quarter 2024 that have materially affected or are reasonably likely to materially affect Southern Company's, Alabama Power's, Georgia Power's, Mississippi Power's, Southern Power's, or Southern Company Gas' internal control over financial reporting.

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PART II — OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1. Legal Proceedings.

See the Notes to the Condensed Financial Statements herein for information regarding certain legal and administrative proceedings in which the Registrants are involved. The Registrants' threshold for disclosing material environmental legal proceedings involving a governmental authority where potential monetary sanctions are involved is $1 million.

See RISK FACTORS in Item 1A of the Form 10-K for a discussion of the risk factors of the Registrants. There have been no material changes to these risk factors from those previously disclosed in the Form 10-K.

The following table reports information regarding the adoption of "Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangements" or "non-Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangements," as defined in Item 408(a) of Regulation S-K, during the three months ended March 31, 2024 for Southern Company's directors and "officers," as defined in Rule 16a-1(f) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. There were no modifications or terminations of such trading arrangements during the three months ended March 31, 2024. Unless otherwise indicated, each trading arrangement listed below is a "Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement," provides for the sale of shares of Southern Company’s common stock, commences no earlier than the 120th day after the "Date of Adoption" listed below, and terminates upon the earlier of the "Expiration Date" listed below or the completion of all sales. The Subsidiary Registrants had no reportable trading arrangements for the three months ended March 31, 2024.

(1)Includes shares underlying equity awards subject to accrual of dividend-equivalent rights. Accordingly, the total number of shares ultimately available for sale could be more than the amount shown. The amount shown is based on the dividend-equivalent rights accrued as of the date of adoption.

The exhibits below with an asterisk (*) preceding the exhibit number are filed herewith. The remaining exhibits have previously been filed with the SEC and are incorporated herein by reference. The exhibits marked with a pound sign (#) are management contracts or compensatory plans or arrangements.

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THE SOUTHERN COMPANY

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized. The signature of the undersigned company shall be deemed to relate only to matters having reference to such company and any subsidiaries thereof included in such company's report.

Date: May 1, 2024

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ALABAMA POWER COMPANY

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized. The signature of the undersigned company shall be deemed to relate only to matters having reference to such company and any subsidiaries thereof included in such company's report.

Date: May 1, 2024

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GEORGIA POWER COMPANY

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized. The signature of the undersigned company shall be deemed to relate only to matters having reference to such company and any subsidiaries thereof included in such company's report.

Date: May 1, 2024

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MISSISSIPPI POWER COMPANY

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized. The signature of the undersigned company shall be deemed to relate only to matters having reference to such company and any subsidiaries thereof included in such company's report.

Date: May 1, 2024

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SOUTHERN POWER COMPANY

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized. The signature of the undersigned company shall be deemed to relate only to matters having reference to such company and any subsidiaries thereof included in such company's report.

Date: May 1, 2024

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SOUTHERN COMPANY GAS

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized. The signature of the undersigned company shall be deemed to relate only to matters having reference to such company and any subsidiaries thereof included in such company's report.

Date: May 1, 2024