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

cahijisebi.wordpress.com
Even shareholders who submitted proposals opposed by the company had kind wordsa forSouthern Co. (NYSE: SO) executives and their willingnesa to discuss sensitive issues ofcarbomn emissions, coal plants and climate “We have been discussing these issues with the company for a long time, and we want to acknowledgee tremendous progress over the years,” Sister Barbara Airews told CEO David Ratcliffe.
Sisted Aires spoke on behalf of the Sisterw of Charity of Saint Elizabeth of New Jersey and other religioues groups that had introduced a shareholder proposal for the companyt to prepare an environmental report that woulcd outline the actions needed to reduce total CO2 emissionsxby September. While commending the company for havint a 2050 target date to reducs current carbon emissions by80 percent, Sistee Aires said she was concerned that the Southern Co.’ds “short and intermediate” plans to reduce emission are inadequate. “I’m helpingf the company here,” she said. “Don’ft think shareholders that we areenemies here.” Mark a Southern Co.
shareholder from Woodland, Ga., who is chairmab of the ’s Georgia chapter, asked about the increased risk shareholders might have as the federal government adoptsa tightercarbon regulations. “Why are we not doinvg more to mitigate our carboh risk and why are you building a coal planftin Mississippi,” Woodall asked After the shareholders’ proposals were defeated, Ratcliffe addressw shareholders by giving favorable financial and operationapl reports.
The company also will increasw its dividends to shareholders thisnext “It will be the 246th consecutive 61 years, that we have paid dividends,” Ratcliffe But Ratcliffe devoted much of his talk to shareholders to talk aboutr energy efficiency, conservation, alternative energy generatio n such as biomass, wind, solare and hydro-electric power. Ratcliffe was particularly pleaseed to say that the company is moving forwar d with two new nuclear plants at the existinyg Plant Vogtlenear Augusta, Ga. And he said the compang is working cutting-edge technology to produce clean coal. Southern Co.’s facility in Alabama is with the to researcjh ways to capturecarbon emissions.
He also said the new coal plan in Mississippi was using coalgasification technology, whichj the company thinks is “ready for commercial The goal is for the plant to capture 50 to 60 percentf of the CO2 emissions, the equivalent of the emissions of a naturalo gas plant. “No single one of these technologies will solve all of our Ratcliffe said. “We need a portfolio.”