Southern Company earns high climate change marks

Southern Company, a natural gas and power utility based in Atlanta, Georgia and serving 9mn customers, said January 10 it had received a second consecutive mark of A- from the Climate Disclosure Project (CDP, formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) for its environmental transparency and leadership in 2021.

In 2019, the utility received a B in its first ranking by the CDP, a global non-profit that releases annual marks to incentivise companies in their environmental actions.

“As Southern Company works to achieve a net zero carbon future, we remain committed to our core principles of providing clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy to our customers and communities,” said Jeff Burleson, the utility’s senior vice president, environmental and system planning. “We are pleased our 2021 score of A- once again places Southern Company among the top companies utilising current best practices in climate disclosure.”

Like many utilities, Southern Company has set a long-term goal of achieving net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050, with an interim goal of reducing GHG emissions by 50% by 2030, from 2007 levels. However, it expects to consistently achieve reductions of more than 50% by 2025.