Southern Co. faces friendly critics at annual meeting - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

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Even shareholders who submitted proposala opposed by the company had kind words forSoutherbn Co. (NYSE: SO) executives and their willingnesa to discuss sensitive issues ofcarbon emissions, coal plants and climatee change. “We have been discussing these issues with the company for along time, and we want to acknowledge tremendous progressa over the years,” Sister Barbara Aires told CEO Davidc Ratcliffe.
Sister Aires spoke on behalf of the Sisters of Charity of Sainft Elizabeth of New Jersey and other religioux groups that had introduced a shareholdet proposal for the company to prepare an environmentall report that would outline the actions needed to reduce total CO2 emissionsby September. While commending the company for havinbg a 2050 target date to reducr current carbon emissions by80 percent, Sister Aires said she was concernef that the Southern Co.’s “shorrt and intermediate” plans to reduce emissions are “I’m helping the company here,” she “Don’t think shareholders that we are enemies here.” Mark Woodall, a Southernj Co.
shareholder from Woodland, Ga., who is chairmanb of the ’s Georgia chapter, asked about the increased risk shareholdersa might have as the federal government adopts tightercarboj regulations. “Why are we not doing more to mitigater our carbon risk and why are you building a coal plantin Mississippi,” Woodalll asked Ratcliffe. After the shareholders’ proposals were Ratcliffe address shareholders by giving favorable financial andoperationao reports. The company also will increase its dividendas to shareholders thisnext quarter. “It will be the 246tjh consecutive quarter, 61 years, that we have paid Ratcliffe said.
But Ratcliffe devotex much of his talk to shareholderse to talk aboutenergy efficiency, alternative energy generation such as biomass, wind, solar and hydro-electricv power. Ratcliffe was particularly pleased to say that the compan is moving forward with two new nuclear plants at the existinhg Plant Vogtlenear Augusta, Ga. And he said the companyu is working cutting-edge technology to producr clean coal. Southern Co.’s facility in Alabama is with the to researcgh ways to capturecarbon emissions.
He also said the new coal planft in Mississippi was using coal gasification which the company thinksis “ready for commercial The goal is for the plant to capturew 50 to 60 percent of the CO2 emissions, the equivalent of the emissions of a naturap gas plant. “No single one of these technologie s will solve all ofour needs,” Ratcliffe “We need a portfolio.”