POWERGRAMS

4 get the lights back on in Beaumont and Orange, Texas, and Lake Charles, Louisiana – which took a direct hit from Laura and suffered major damage. ……………… Alabama Power was again named one of the best economic development teams in the nation, according to Site Selection magazine. The Top 20 Utilities in Economic Development list recognized the best track records for recruiting and expanding industry. The publication cited 2019 efforts by Alabama Power to attract an estimated $2 billion in new capital investment and more than 2,500 jobs created through new and expanding facility projects. …………… Alabama Gulf Coast residents had power restored by Alabama Power within three days following Hurricane Sally, which battered the coastline. Sally was the first hurricane to make landfall in Alabama since Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and brought severe flooding and high winds that knocked down poles and power lines in southern and central Alabama before the slow-moving storm exited the state. Power was disrupted, resulting in more than 680,000 outages across the company's service territory. ………….. OCTOBER The typical Alabama Power customer received a $25 credit in October, following a decision by the Alabama Public Service Commission (PSC). The credit is on top of a 3% rate reduction that customers were already enjoying in 2020. Combined with prior rate actions, customers received approximately $300 million in benefits in 2020. Customers received a total of $100 million from a fuel credit. …….…. Alabama Power employees' customer-first dedication was recognized as part of National Customer Service Week Oct. 5-9. The week carried additional importance in 2020 during the pandemic as the company expanded customer support options and successfully adapted operations to safely serve customers. The Customer Operations organization COVID-19 response plans included maintaining self-service options at business offices and allowing employees to work remotely. …………. The 68th Annual Convention of the Alabama NAACP State Conference was held online Oct. 2-3 with the theme "No Vote, No Justice." The convention concluded with the Freedom Awards program. Derrick Johnson, national president and CEO of the NAACP, delivered the keynote address. The Corporate Advocacy Award was given to Alabama Power in recognition of work with the NAACP in providing critical resources and information to people affected by COVID-19. NOVEMBER A project by the Metering Services organization to help get the lights back on for industrial and commercial customers won an Achievement Award from the Association of Edison Illuminating Companies (AEIC). A new system transmits outage data over a cellular connection that uses a backup power source. Not only is power restored quickly but at a cost savings by no longer using external carriers to carry outage signals. ……………….. Alabama Power employees held their annual Children's Playtime Extravaganza at Children's of Alabama hospital in Birmingham. Because of the pandemic, boxes filled with items costing donors a total of about $6,000 were delivered. The 150 boxes included teddy bears, Legos, glow sticks, LED glasses, fake mustaches, face masks, baseball hats, stickers, bubbles, playdough, magnetic doodle boards, bendable emoji people, animal stress balls, Hot Wheels cars, markers, stamps, notepads, stress blocks, bracelets, crayons, pencils, sharpeners and erasers. ……………………… The Edison Electric Institute awarded Southern Company the 92nd annual EEI Edison Award, which is widely considered the national electric utility industry's most prestigious honor. Southern Company received the award for its portfolio of energy storage research and development (R&D) initiatives. The award in large part stemmed from the development, commissioning and operation of the Energy Storage Research Center in Birmingham. Another key energy storage R&D initiative is Alabama Power's Smart Neighborhood in Birmingham. DECEMBER Community Development Specialist Ephraim Stockdale was recognized as a "shining star" by the Alabama Communities of Excellence for his leadership in community development statewide. The nonprofit presented Stockdale with its Outstanding ACE Leadership Award for his work on the Associates Council. The award is one of six presented annually by ACE. ……………. The Alabama Power Foundation awarded 17 Elevate grants totaling $119,500. Recipients were (Birmingham Division) Silver Glove Baseball Camp & Showcase, Jesse J. Lewis Jr. Foundation; East Lake Initiative, Freshwater Land Trust; (Eastern Division) Sylacauga Alliance for Family Enhancement (SAFE); City of Pell City, HEARTS of Cleburne; (Mobile Division) Ransom Ministries, Southwest Mobile County Chamber Foundation, Monroe County Children's Policy Council, The Learning Tree; (Southeast Division) Boys & Girls Club of Abbeville, Mary Hill Service Center; (Southern Division) McRae Learning Center, United Methodist Children's Home; (Western Division) Mission of Hope-Dora and Schoolyard Roots. …………… The 10 companies participating in the first class of the Techstars Alabama EnergyTech Accelerator are benefiting from the expertise of mentors from companies throughout the state, with the largest contingent coming from Alabama Power and its system peers. Twenty-two employees from the Southern Company system are mentors from Power Delivery, Accounting, Finance and Treasury, Business Transformation, Marketing, Regulatory and Technology. Employees wore masks at Storm Center during outage restorations.

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