Southern Company receives historic Department of Energy $26.5 billion loan guarantees to increase grid reliability

Investments to create an estimated $7 billion in benefits for Southern Company customers, helping lower energy costs and strengthen the grid, while advancing the president's energy dominance and affordability agenda

ATLANTA, Feb. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Customers across Alabama and Georgia are set to benefit from a historic U.S. government investment into energy infrastructure and grid reliability. Southern Company's subsidiaries, Georgia Power and Alabama Power, have received a loan package of up to $26.54 billion from the Department of Energy's Office of Energy Dominance Financing (EDF). Over the approximately 30-year term of the loans, customers are expected to recognize estimated savings of $7 billion.

Southern Company's vertically integrated, state regulated‑model provides an orderly and transparent framework for working with regulators to deploy essential energy infrastructure investments – like those supported by the EDF loans for the benefit of customers. Under these new EDF loans, Southern Company subsidiaries will be among the first to take advantage of the funding provided by President Trump's Energy Dominance Financing Program created by the Working Families Tax Cut and will finance a portfolio of projects across its Southeastern service territory.

"These investments will support the extraordinary and transformative projected growth we're seeing across our company. These loans will help lower the cost of investments in our grid that will enhance reliability and resilience for the benefit of our customers," said Chris Womack, chairman, president and CEO of Southern Company. "At Southern Company, we are focused on serving growth while maintaining rate stability and driving long-term savings for customers. We believe the actions we're taking today will leave an enduring, positive impact on generations to come. We thank President Donald J. Trump and U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright for their leadership and support of American energy infrastructure and the millions of customers we are privileged to serve."

These essential energy infrastructure investments include power from natural gas, nuclear uprates and license extensions, hydropower and battery energy storage, as well as transmission system improvements and grid enhancements to help provide safe, reliable and affordable energy to Alabama Power and Georgia Power's combined 4.3 million customers. 

Financial draws from the EDF loans announced today are subject to satisfaction of conditions and may be made through September 15, 2033.

About Southern Company

Southern Company (NYSE:SO) is a leading energy provider serving 9 million customers across the Southeast and beyond through its family of companies. The company has electric operating companies in three states, natural gas distribution companies in four states, a competitive generation company, a leading distributed energy solutions provider with national capabilities, a fiber optics network and telecommunications services.  Our uncompromising values ensure we put the needs of those we serve at the center of everything we do and are the key to our sustained success, driven by nearly 30,000 employees dedicated to delivering exceptional service. To learn more, visit www.southerncompany.com.

Certain information contained in this release is forward-looking information based on current expectations and plans that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking information includes, among other things, statements concerning projected future growth and estimated customer benefits, which will depend on the ultimate amount of borrowings, the timing of borrowings, and the interest rate savings at the time of each borrowing. Southern Company cautions that there are certain factors that can cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking information that has been provided. The reader is cautioned not to put undue reliance on this forward-looking information, which is not a guarantee of future performance and is subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside the control of Southern Company; accordingly, there can be no assurance that such suggested results will be realized. The following factors, in addition to those discussed in Southern Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 and subsequent securities filings, could cause actual results to differ materially from management expectations as suggested by such forward-looking information: the impact of recent and future federal and state legal and regulatory changes, as well as changes in application of existing laws, regulations and guidance; the extent and timing of costs and legal requirements related to coal combustion residuals; current and future litigation or regulatory investigations, proceedings, or inquiries; the effects, extent, and timing of the entry of additional competition in the markets in which Southern Company's subsidiaries operate; variations in demand for electricity, including uncertainties related to projected significant growth in electricity demand driven primarily by data centers and other large load customers, and the related requirement for substantial new generation and transmission investments, creating capital access and revenue recovery risks for Southern Company's electric utilities; customer affordability matters; available sources and costs of natural gas and other fuels and commodities; transmission constraints; the ability to control costs and avoid cost and schedule overruns during the development, construction, and operation of facilities or other projects; legal proceedings and regulatory approvals and actions related to past, ongoing, and proposed construction projects, including state public service commission approvals and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 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; advances in technology, including the pace and extent of development of low- to no-carbon energy and battery energy storage technologies and the impact of advancing technology on data center and other large load customer demand; state and federal rate regulations and the impact of pending and future rate cases and negotiations; the ability to successfully operate Southern Company's electric utilities' generation, transmission, distribution, and battery energy storage facilities and the successful performance of necessary corporate functions; the inherent risks involved in operating nuclear generating facilities; the inherent risks involved in generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity, including accidents, explosions, fires, mechanical problems, discharges or releases of toxic or hazardous substances or gases, and other environmental risks; 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, changes in trade policies (including tariffs and other trade measures) of the United States and other countries, interest rate fluctuations, and financial market conditions, and the results of financing efforts; prolonged or recurring U.S. federal government shutdowns; access to capital markets and other financing sources; changes in Southern Company's and any of its subsidiaries' credit ratings; the ability of Southern Company's electric utilities to obtain additional generating capacity (or sell excess generating capacity) at competitive prices; catastrophic events such as fires, including wildfires, land movement, earthquakes, explosions, floods, high winds, tornadoes, hurricanes and other storms, solar flares, droughts, future epidemic or pandemic health events, wars, political unrest, or other similar occurrences; and the direct or indirect effects on the Southern Company system's business resulting from incidents affecting the U.S. electric grid or operation of generating or storage resources.  Southern Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking information.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/southern-company-receives-historic-department-of-energy-26-5-billion-loan-guarantees-to-increase-grid-reliability-302697140.html

SOURCE Southern Company