POWERGRAMS

EDUCATION Southern Company 101 CEO Fanning tries hand as 'professor' at Samford Photos by Hal Yeager Executive Vice President Zeke Smith chats with Fanning. Southern Company CEO Fanning spoke at Birmingham school. S outhern Company President, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Tom Fanning told a Samford University audience in Birmingham it is vital for the U.S. to get energy policy right. "The economy is getting more electrified," he said. "What we do matters. It's about driving the economy. It's about allowing people a chance to improve their lives. Everything we do is fundamental to the families we serve." Fanning spoke to business students, faculty and community leaders gathered for Samford's Brock School of Business Entrepreneurship Speaker Series. He said that, just like wise investors manage risk by maintaining a diverse stock portfolio, a similar policy is needed on the federal level when it comes to energy policy. "The United States is blessed with a series of energy resources and we have to take advantage Samford business students of them all." listened to presentation. Fanning said Southern Company is focused on developing the full portfolio of energy resources, including new nuclear, 21st century coal, natural gas, renewables and energy efficiency. Energy innovation is another important part of the company's strategy, Fanning said. He noted that Alabama and Alabama Power are at the center of some of the most important research and development efforts related to finding a way forward for coal, an abundant and affordable domestic energy resource. For example, Plant Barry is the site of Southern Company's successful carbon capture research project – the world's largest at an existing coal-fired power plant – working in partnership with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Southern Company also manages the U.S. Department of Energy's National Carbon Capture Center in Wilsonville, adjacent to Plant Gaston, where researchers are testing the next generation of technologies to capture carbon dioxide emissions. PAGE 2 Fanning praised Alabama Power's efforts related to renewables, including its recent power purchase agreements for energy generated from Midwest wind farms. Last year, Alabama Power began receiving energy from a wind farm in Oklahoma, with a second wind project, in Kansas, expected to begin delivering energy later this year. Combined, the two projects are expected to provide up to 404 megawatts – enough to power the equivalent of 115,000 homes – at a price that is beneficial for Alabama Power customers. In all, Alabama Power has power purchase agreements and generation facilities producing up to 2,000 megawatts of energy from wind, biomass and hydro generation. Fanning said Southern Company and Alabama Power continue to be successful, after more than a century in business, because they put customers "at the center of everything we do." He said a culture of service and a commitment to making communities better continue to consistently deliver customer value. Fanning told the Samford audience a commitment to diversity drives success at Alabama Power and across Southern Company, explaining diversity means more than race and gender. "What we want is diversity of judgment, experience and skill set," he said. "The more diverse our experiences, the better off we are going to be serving you all and everyone we touch." Brock School of Business Dean Howard Finch praised Fanning's remarks. "Samford University has the responsibility to bring top leaders to campus who are involved in communities, to make them better as well as the lives of the people who live there better. As a business school, it is our responsibility to bring great business leaders to our campus for our students to learn from. Today, I am happy to say, we got two for one." By Michael Sznajderman

• Cover