Southern Company Gets an F for its Flimsy Climate Promises

ATLANTA, GA - Yesterday, the Sierra Club released the second edition of “The Dirty Truth About Utility Climate Pledges,” a report and accompanying interactive tool which grades utilities’ climate change promises. The grades are based on utility plans to retire coal plants, stop building new gas plants, and invest in clean energy -- allowing the public to judge each utility’s climate progress and how it compares to what science demands. 

Southern Company made a bold promise to reach “net zero” carbon emissions by 2050, yet the company’s subsidiaries in each state are not yet taking the steps necessary to decarbonize. According to the analysis, Southern Company and most of its subsidiaries, including Alabama Power and Georgia Power, received an F. One notable exception is Mississippi Power, which is slightly ahead of the pack, receiving a B. 

Charline Whyte, Senior Campaign Representative for the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign in Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi, said, “Southern Company’s net zero pledge is a step in the right direction, but it will only become reality if Alabama Power, Georgia Power, and Mississippi Power actually step up and take the actions necessary to meet the 2050 timeline. As a whole, Southern Company would have you believe that it's rapidly transitioning its energy portfolio from dirty fossil fuels like coal and fracked gas to clean energy, but numbers don’t lie: Southern Company still heavily relies on fossil fuels to power our grid.” 

Decarbonizing the electric sector by 80% by 2030 is crucial to prevent the most significant impacts of climate change. The “Dirty Truth” report assesses utilities on performance in three areas that are critical to protect the planet: 

• Retire existing coal by 2030 
• Terminate plans to build new gas
• Build clean energy faster 

Georgia Power’s 2022 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) was finalized at the end of July, where the Georgia Public Service Commission approved the retirement of Plant Wansley Units 1 and 2 and Plant Scherer Unit 3, but deferred the decision to retire Plant Bowen Units 1 and 2.  Despite locking-in some coal unit retirements in Georgia, Plant Miller in Alabama will continue to drag down Southern’s score because it’s the biggest carbon polluter in the country, and has been for the past eight years.

Whyte said, "We're happy to see Georgia Power closing coal units, but replacing one dirty fossil fuel with another is not good for our communities. Georgia Power's latest energy plan secured fracked gas power purchase agreements that lock the state into another decade of fossil fuels and eclipse the small renewable investments the utility proposed.

“However, Alabama Power does not have any plans to stop burning coal at Plant Miller, located in North Alabama. Waiting until after 2040 to even consider retiring the #1 carbon polluter in the country is unacceptable, and proves that Southern Company’s net zero promise is not shared by all its subsidiaries. Running Miller for decades to come directly pollutes our communities and makes our air harder to breathe."
 

Whyte concluded, “There is no time to waste. Now, more than ever, it is clear that we need to take rapid action on climate change. Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi are already experiencing the consequences of climate change. Look no further than the increase in record high temperatures, more catastrophic hurricanes, and devastating floods.

“At the end of the day, it’s about working together to build a just, resilient economy and a sustainable future. Southern Company’s shareholder profits should not stand in the way of doing what is right for the people and the planet. Southern Company must put people before its endless profits by ditching fossil fuels and investing in clean energy that is affordable and accessible to all.”