The following factors, in addition to those discussed in Southern Company’s Annual Report on Form securities filings, could cause actual results to differ materially from management expectations as suggested by such forward-looking information: the impact of recent and future federal and state regulatory changes, including environmental laws regulating emissions, discharges and disposal to air, water and land, and also changes in tax and other laws and regulations to which Southern Company and its subsidiaries are subject, including potential tax reform legislation, as well as changes in application of existing laws and regulations; current and future litigation, regulatory investigations, proceedings or inquiries; the effects, extent and timing of the entry of additional competition in the markets in which Southern Company’s subsidiaries operate; variations in demand for electricity and natural gas, including those relating to weather, the general economy and recovery from the last recession, population and business growth (and declines), the effects of energy conservation and efficiency measures, including from the development and deployment of alternative energy sources such as self-generation and 13 distributed generation technologies; available sources and costs of natural gas and other fuels; limits on pipeline capacity; effects of inflation; the ability to control costs and avoid cost overruns during the development, construction and operation of facilities, which include the development and construction of generating facilities with designs that have not been finalized or previously constructed; the results of Westinghouse Electric Company LLC and its affiliate (collectively, Contractor), WECTEC Global Project Services Inc. (formerly known as CB&I Stone & Webster, Inc.), formerly a subsidiary of The Shaw Group Inc. and Chicago Bridge & Iron Company N.V., bankruptcy filing and the impact of any inability or other failure of Toshiba Corporation to perform its obligations under its guarantee of certain payment obligations of the Contractor, including any effect on the construction of Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4, as well as the engineering, procurement and construction agreement for Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 and Georgia Power’s U.S. Department of Energy loan guarantees; the ability to construct facilities in accordance with the requirements of permits and licenses, to satisfy any environmental performance standards and the requirements of tax credits and other incentives, and to integrate facilities into the Southern Company system upon completion of construction; advances in technology; ongoing renewable energy partnerships and development agreements; state and federal rate regulations and the impact of pending and future rate cases and negotiations, including rate actions relating to fuel and other cost recovery mechanisms; legal proceedings and regulatory approvals and actions related to Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4, including Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) approvals and Nuclear Regulatory Commission actions; actions related to cost recovery for the Kemper IGCC; the ability to successfully operate the electric utilities' generating, transmission and distribution facilities and Southern Company Gas’ natural gas distribution and storage facilities and the successful performance of necessary corporate functions; the inherent risks involved in operating and constructing nuclear generating facilities; the inherent risks involved in transporting and storing natural gas; the performance of projects undertaken by the non-utility businesses and the success of efforts to invest in and develop new opportunities; internal restructuring or other restructuring options that may be pursued; potential business strategies, including acquisitions or dispositions of assets or businesses, which cannot be assured to be completed or beneficial to Southern Company or its subsidiaries; the possibility that the anticipated benefits from the acquisition of Southern Company Gas cannot be fully realized or may take longer to realize than expected, the possibility that costs related to the integration of Southern Company and Southern Company Gas will be greater than expected, the ability to retain and hire key personnel and maintain relationships with customers, suppliers or other business partners, and the diversion of management time on integration related issues; the ability of counterparties of Southern Company and its subsidiaries to make payments as and when due and to perform as required; the ability to obtain new short- and long-term contracts with wholesale customers; the direct or indirect effect on the Southern Company system's business resulting from cyber intrusion or terrorist incidents and the threat of terrorist incidents; interest rate fluctuations and financial market conditions and the results of financing efforts; changes in Southern Company's and any of its subsidiaries' credit ratings; the impacts of any sovereign financial issues; the ability of Southern Company's electric utilities’ to obtain additional generating capacity (or sell excess generating capacity) at competitive prices; catastrophic events such as fires, earthquakes, explosions, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes and other storms, droughts, pandemic health events such as influenzas, or other similar occurrences; and the direct or indirect effects on the Southern Company system's business resulting from incidents affecting the U.S. electric grid, natural gas pipeline infrastructure or operation of generating or storage resources.