Southern Company opened its new energy trading floor in Atlantayesterday, establishing the electronic nerve center of thecompany’s growing body of North American assets.

“When we began to expand beyond our traditional businesses inthe Southeast, we knew it would be important to link our newlyacquired power plants to a vigorous trading and marketingoperation,” said A.W. Dahlberg, Southern CEO. “Our plan has workedbetter and more quickly than we imagined. Opening this new tradingfloor just three-and-a-half years after we launched our strategy isclear evidence of our success.”

The trading floor handles transactions involving electricity,natural gas, coal and oil. The trading floor is operated bySouthern Company Energy Marketing, a joint venture of SouthernCompany subsidiary Southern Energy Inc. and Vastar Resources Inc.Southern Company also trades wholesale electricity generated in itstraditional regulated southeastern operations through a separatetrading group.

“It’s important to link assets to energy trading. Assets likepower plants are most profitable when used efficiently, with acomplete understanding of market conditions and availableoptions,” said S. Marce Fuller, CEO of Southern Energy Inc. “Theonly way you can understand all of that fully is to be in thebusiness of trading energy commodities.”

“In many cases, the fuel going into our newly acquired powerplants and the electricity coming out of them are bought and soldon this floor, allowing us to make the most profitable use of ourNorth American investments,” said Gary Morsches, president ofSouthern Company Energy Marketing.

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