For the third consecutive year, Southern Company earned a score of A- for its 2022 CDP Climate Change Disclosure, demonstrating leadership for the North American region and thermal power generation sector.

The score is at the Leadership level, recognizing the company demonstrates "best practice in strategy and action" relative to key disclosure frameworks.

CDP, a global nonprofit, manages an environmental disclosure system for companies and municipalities. Southern Company values the CDP Climate Change Disclosure as one avenue for engaging with stakeholders, providing transparency around the company's strategy and progress toward its greenhouse gas reduction goal of net zero emissions by 2050.

By completing CDP's annual request for climate change disclosure, Southern Company is demonstrating the accountability vital to tracking progress toward a sustainable future.

"Southern Company consistently demonstrates its commitment to stakeholder engagement through comprehensive data disclosure, in-depth reports and direct communication through a variety of formats," said Tom Fanning, chairman, president and CEO of Southern Company. "Our A- score from CDP, particularly considering enhanced disclosure requirements by CDP this year, is indicative of this commitment."

Highlights of Southern Company's 2022 CDP Climate Change Disclosure, which is based on 2021 data, include:

• Reporting all major sources of greenhouse emissions for Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions. The Company's Scope 3 emissions reporting was expanded in 2022 to include additional categories and contributions to previously reported categories, such that all relevant Scope 3 emissions are now disclosed.
• Third-party limited assurance of the 2020 and 2021 Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions data.
• Disclosure of revenue share associated with no- and low-carbon generation for electric operations.
• Description of analysis of physical and transition-related climate risks included in ongoing planning processes as part of Southern Company's net zero transition plan.
• Response to CDP's new module on biodiversity, reflecting the company's commitment to natural resources stewardship and conservation.

The Powell Avenue Steam Plant, built in 1895, provided steam and electricity for downtown Birmingham businesses, and was essential to the city’s growth by powering its streetcar system.

Now the former plant – which Alabama Power acquired in the 1950s and operated until 2013 – is set to once again help fuel the city’s growth.

Plans to redevelop the 85,000-square-foot historic Powell Avenue Steam Plant and surrounding Parkside District into a mixed-use entertainment venue and connectivity hub were announced by a major real estate development company in 2022.

Birmingham City Councilor Hunter Williams noted during a press conference that the former plant has been “an integral part of Birmingham’s history for more than 125 years.”

“Through public-private partnerships, redeveloping the steam plant will help bring more Birmingham residents downtown while also supporting tourism and economic development efforts to propel our city into the future. Adding yet another major neighborhood anchor in the heart of downtown will be a gamechanger for Birmingham,” Williams said.

With the former plant’s first new tenant slated to open for business in the fall of 2023, Powell Avenue Steam Plant is expected to serve as a catalyst for intentional, inclusive growth and to promote economic development that improves the quality of life for all residents and visitors to the city.

Ideally, the next life of a facility includes an economically viable and vibrant purpose that benefits the communities the plant has served for generations. We want to leave a site better than before, mitigating environmental impacts and laying the groundwork for the infrastructure that moves communities forward.

Savannah’s Plant Riverside has found an exciting new life as the centerpiece development of a riverfront entertainment district for locals and tourists alike.

Situated alongside the Savannah River in the heart of downtown, Plant Riverside began its service in 1912 and was decommissioned in 2005.

We sold the site in 2012 to the Kessler Collection and plans took shape for a mixed-use development including a hotel, restaurants and entertainment with the historic power plant as its centerpiece. The $270 million project broke ground in 2016 and opened in the summer of 2020. Using sustainable building and site development practices, elements of the plant were repurposed for an exciting and historic reimagining of the facility. Designers took special care to save original materials, including preservation of the plant’s iconic chimneys. Plant Riverside’s former control room is now used for wine storage.

“Mr. Kessler and his team did a great job of trying to preserve the plant and repurpose as much as possible. We worked closely with him and with the developers, and we even had some longtime employees discuss the past uses and the specific equipment on the site,” said William Mock, Georgia Power coastal plant manager.

These days, tourists and locals alike enjoy luxury hotel rooms, three rooftop bars, more dining options, unique retail shops, cultural and science exhibits, and access to a quarter mile of new river walk. And the immediate area is now attracting additional investment with townhomes and other amenities planned.