Regulatory Matters

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2023

Regulated Operations [Abstract]

Regulatory Matters

REGULATORY MATTERS

See Note 2 to the financial statements in Item 8 of the Form 10-K for additional information relating to regulatory matters.

The recovery balances for certain retail regulatory clauses of the traditional electric operating companies and Southern Company Gas at March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 were as follows:

Regulatory Clause	Balance Sheet Line Item	March 31, 2023		December 31, 2022
		(in millions)
Alabama Power
Rate CNP Compliance	Other regulatory assets, current	$	23	$	47
	Other regulatory assets, deferred	18		—
Rate CNP PPA	Other regulatory assets, current	17		18
	Other regulatory assets, deferred	100		102
Retail Energy Cost Recovery	Other regulatory assets, current	101		102
	Other regulatory assets, deferred	420		520
Georgia Power
Fuel Cost Recovery(*)	Receivables – under recovered fuel clause revenues	$	447	$	—
	Deferred under recovered fuel clause revenues	1,702		2,056
Mississippi Power
Fuel Cost Recovery	Receivables – customer accounts, net	$	25	$	1
Ad Valorem Tax	Other regulatory assets, current	9		12
	Other regulatory assets, deferred	19		19
Southern Company Gas
Natural Gas Cost Recovery	Natural gas cost under recovery	$	—	$	108
	Natural gas cost over recovery	117		—

(*)See "Georgia Power – Fuel Cost Recovery" herein for additional information.

Alabama Power

Certificates of Convenience and Necessity

In 2020, the Alabama PSC approved a certificate of convenience and necessity authorizing Alabama Power's construction of Plant Barry Unit 8 and the recovery of estimated actual in-service costs of $652 million. At March 31, 2023, project expenditures associated with Plant Barry Unit 8 totaled approximately $541 million, of which $536 million and $5 million was included in CWIP and property, plant, and equipment in service, respectively. The unit is expected to be placed in service in November 2023. The ultimate outcome of this matter cannot be determined at this time.

Rate CNP New Plant

On March 24, 2023, Alabama Power filed Rate CNP New Plant with the Alabama PSC to recover costs associated with the acquisition of the Central Alabama Generating Station. The filing reflected an annual increase in retail revenues of $78 million effective with June 2023 billings. Through May 2023, Alabama Power expects to recover substantially all costs associated with the Central Alabama Generating Station through Rate RSE, offset by revenues from a power sales agreement. See Note 15 to the financial statements under "Alabama Power" in Item 8 of the Form 10-K for additional information.

Renewable Generation Certificate

Through the issuance of a Renewable Generation Certificate (RGC), Alabama Power is authorized by the Alabama PSC to procure up to 500 MWs of renewable capacity and energy by September 16, 2027 and to market the related energy and environmental attributes to customers and other third parties. On April 4, 2023, the Alabama PSC approved two new solar PPAs totaling 160 MWs. Alabama Power has procured solar capacity totaling approximately 490 MWs under the RGC.

Georgia Power

Fuel Cost Recovery

On February 28, 2023, Georgia Power filed a request with the Georgia PSC to increase fuel rates. On April 13, 2023, Georgia Power and the staff of the Georgia PSC reached a stipulated agreement that includes the following terms: (i) Georgia Power would update fuel rates from the original request for revised fuel costs and to reflect a three-year recovery period, starting June 1, 2023, for $2.2 billion of the under recovered fuel balance and (ii) Georgia Power would be required to file its next fuel case no later than February 28, 2026. On April 24, 2023, Georgia Power filed an updated request reflecting a 54% increase in fuel rates effective June 1, 2023, which is expected to increase annual billings by approximately $1.1 billion and includes recovery of the under recovered fuel balance described above. Changes in fuel rates have no significant effect on Georgia Power's net income but do impact the related operating cash flows. Georgia Power expects the Georgia PSC to make a final decision on this matter on May 16, 2023. The ultimate outcome of this matter cannot be determined at this time.

Integrated Resource Plans

In August 2022, Restore Chattooga Gorge Coalition (RCG) filed a petition in the Superior Court of Fulton County, Georgia against Georgia Power and the Georgia PSC. The petition challenges Georgia Power's plan to expend $115 million to modernize Plant Tugalo, as approved in the 2019 IRP, and seeks judicial review of the Georgia PSC's order in the 2022 IRP proceeding with respect to the denial of RCG's challenge to the modernization plan. In November 2022, Georgia Power and the Georgia PSC both filed motions to dismiss the RCG petition. The ultimate outcome of this matter cannot be determined at this time.

Nuclear Construction

In 2009, the Georgia PSC certified construction of Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4, in which Georgia Power currently holds a 45.7% ownership interest. In 2012, the NRC issued the related combined construction and operating licenses, which allowed full construction of the two AP1000 nuclear units (with electric generating capacity of approximately 1,100 MWs each) and related facilities to begin. Until March 2017, construction on Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 continued under the Vogtle 3 and 4 Agreement, which was a substantially fixed price agreement.

In connection with the EPC Contractor's bankruptcy filing in March 2017, Georgia Power, acting for itself and as agent for the other Vogtle Owners, entered into several transitional arrangements to allow construction to continue. In July 2017, Georgia Power, acting for itself and as agent for the other Vogtle Owners, entered into the Vogtle Services Agreement, whereby Westinghouse provides facility design and engineering services, procurement and technical support, and staff augmentation on a time and materials cost basis. The Vogtle Services Agreement provides that it will continue until the start-up and testing of Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 are complete and electricity

is generated and sold from both units. The Vogtle Services Agreement is terminable by the Vogtle Owners upon 30 days' written notice.

In October 2017, Georgia Power, acting for itself and as agent for the other Vogtle Owners, executed the Bechtel Agreement, under which Bechtel is reimbursed for actual costs plus a base fee and an at-risk fee, subject to adjustment based on Bechtel's performance against cost and schedule targets. Each Vogtle Owner is severally (not jointly) liable for its proportionate share, based on its ownership interest, of all amounts owed to Bechtel under the Bechtel Agreement. The Vogtle Owners may terminate the Bechtel Agreement at any time for their convenience, provided that the Vogtle Owners will be required to pay amounts related to work performed prior to the termination (including the applicable portion of the base fee), certain termination-related costs, and, at certain stages of the work, the applicable portion of the at-risk fee. Bechtel may terminate the Bechtel Agreement under certain circumstances, including certain Vogtle Owner suspensions of work, certain breaches of the Bechtel Agreement by the Vogtle Owners, Vogtle Owner insolvency, and certain other events.

See Note 8 to the financial statements under "Long-term Debt – DOE Loan Guarantee Borrowings" in Item 8 of the Form 10-K for information on the Amended and Restated Loan Guarantee Agreement, including applicable covenants, events of default, and mandatory prepayment events.

Cost and Schedule

Georgia Power's approximate proportionate share of the remaining estimated capital cost to complete Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4, including contingency, through the end of the second quarter 2023 and the first quarter 2024, respectively, is as follows:

	(in millions)
Base project capital cost forecast(a)(b)	$	10,553
Construction contingency estimate	40
Total project capital cost forecast(a)(b)	10,593
Net investment at March 31, 2023(b)	(9,747)
Remaining estimate to complete	$	846

(a)Includes approximately $610 million of costs that are not shared with the other Vogtle Owners, including $33 million of construction monitoring costs approved for recovery by the Georgia PSC in its nineteenth VCM order, and approximately $407 million of incremental costs under the cost-sharing and tender provisions of the joint ownership agreements described below. Excludes financing costs expected to be capitalized through AFUDC of approximately $418 million, of which $334 million had been accrued through March 31, 2023.

(b)Net of $1.7 billion received from Toshiba under the Guarantee Settlement Agreement and approximately $188 million in related customer refunds.

Georgia Power estimates that its financing costs for construction of Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 will total approximately $3.5 billion, of which $3.3 billion had been incurred through March 31, 2023.

As part of its ongoing processes, Southern Nuclear continues to evaluate cost and schedule forecasts on a regular basis to incorporate current information available, particularly in the areas of start-up testing and related test results, engineering support, commodity installation, system turnovers, and workforce statistics. Southern Nuclear establishes aggressive target values for monthly construction production and system turnover activities, which are reflected in the site work plans.

Since March 2020, the number of active COVID-19 cases at the site has fluctuated consistent with the surrounding area and impacted productivity levels and pace of activity completion, with the site experiencing peaks in the number of active cases in January 2021, August 2021, and January 2022. Georgia Power estimates the productivity impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have consumed approximately three to four months of schedule margin previously embedded in the site work plans. As of March 31, 2023, Georgia Power's proportionate share of the estimated incremental cost associated with COVID-19 mitigation actions and impacts on construction productivity is estimated to be between $160 million and $200 million and is included in the total project capital cost forecast. Future COVID-19 variants could further disrupt or delay construction and testing activities.

On March 6, 2023, Unit 3 achieved self-sustaining nuclear fission, commonly referred to as initial criticality, and, on April 1, 2023, the generator successfully synchronized to the power grid and generated electricity for the first time. Operators continue to perform tests at various power levels to help ensure the reactor performs as designed, and Southern Nuclear continues to remediate various equipment and component issues as they are identified. Based on the expected duration of start-up testing, Unit 3 is projected to be placed in service during May or June 2023. Hot functional testing for Unit 4 commenced on March 20, 2023, with fuel load projected to occur in the third quarter 2023. Unit 4 is projected to be placed in service during late fourth quarter 2023 or the first quarter 2024.

During the first quarter 2023, established construction contingency totaling $20 million was assigned to the base capital cost forecast for costs primarily associated with additional craft and support resources.

The projected schedule for Unit 3 primarily depends on the progression of pre-operational testing and start-up, which may be impacted by further equipment, component, and/or other operational challenges. The projected schedule for Unit 4 primarily depends on potential impacts arising from Unit 4 testing activities overlapping with Unit 3 start-up and commissioning; maintaining overall construction productivity and production levels, particularly in subcontractor scopes of work; and maintaining appropriate levels of craft laborers. As Unit 4 completes construction and transitions further into testing, ongoing and potential future challenges include the duration of hot functional testing; the timeframe and duration of other testing; the pace and quality of remaining commodities installation; the completion of documentation to support ITAAC submittals; the pace of remaining work package closures and system turnovers; and the availability of craft, supervisory, and technical support resources. Ongoing or future challenges for both units also include management of contractors and vendors; subcontractor performance; and/or related cost escalation. New challenges also may continue to arise, as Unit 3 completes start-up and commissioning and Unit 4 moves further into testing and start-up, which may result in required engineering changes or remediation related to plant systems, structures, or components (some of which are based on new technology that only within the last few years began initial operation in the global nuclear industry at this scale). These challenges may result in further schedule delays and/or cost increases.

There have been technical and procedural challenges to the construction and licensing of Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 at the federal and state level and additional challenges may arise. Processes are in place that are designed to ensure compliance with the requirements specified in the Westinghouse Design Control Document and the combined construction and operating licenses, including inspections by Southern Nuclear and the NRC that occur throughout construction. With the receipt of the NRC's 103(g) finding in August 2022, Unit 3 is now subject to the NRC's operating reactor oversight process and must meet applicable technical and operational requirements contained in its operating license. Various design and other licensing-based compliance matters, including the timely submittal by Southern Nuclear of the ITAAC documentation and the related reviews and approvals by the NRC necessary to support NRC authorization to load fuel for Unit 4, may arise, which may result in additional license amendment requests or require other resolution. If any license amendment requests or other licensing-based compliance issues, including inspections and ITAACs for Unit 4, are not resolved in a timely manner, there may be delays in the project schedule that could result in increased costs.

The ultimate outcome of these matters cannot be determined at this time. However, any extension of the in-service date beyond the second quarter 2023 for Unit 3 or the first quarter 2024 for Unit 4, including the joint owner cost sharing and tender impacts described below, is estimated to result in additional base capital costs for Georgia Power of up to $15 million per month for Unit 3 and $35 million per month for Unit 4, as well as the related AFUDC and any additional related construction, support resources, or testing costs. While Georgia Power is not precluded from seeking retail recovery of any future capital cost forecast increase other than the amounts related to the cost-sharing and tender provisions of the joint ownership agreements described below, management will ultimately determine whether or not to seek recovery. Any further changes to the capital cost forecast that are not expected to be recoverable through regulated rates will be required to be charged to income and such charges could be material.

Joint Owner Contracts

In November 2017, the Vogtle Owners entered into an amendment to their joint ownership agreements for Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 to provide for, among other conditions, additional Vogtle Owner approval requirements.

Effective in August 2018, the Vogtle Owners further amended the joint ownership agreements to clarify and provide procedures for certain provisions of the joint ownership agreements related to adverse events that require the vote of the holders of at least 90% of the ownership interests in Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 to continue construction (as amended, and together with the November 2017 amendment, the Vogtle Joint Ownership Agreements). The Vogtle Joint Ownership Agreements also confirm that the Vogtle Owners' sole recourse against Georgia Power or Southern Nuclear for any action or inaction in connection with their performance as agent for the Vogtle Owners is limited to removal of Georgia Power and/or Southern Nuclear as agent, except in cases of willful misconduct.

Amendments to the Vogtle Joint Ownership Agreements

In connection with a September 2018 vote by the Vogtle Owners to continue construction, Georgia Power entered into (i) a binding term sheet (Vogtle Owner Term Sheet) with the other Vogtle Owners and MEAG Power's wholly-owned subsidiaries MEAG Power SPVJ, LLC (MEAG SPVJ), MEAG Power SPVM, LLC (MEAG SPVM), and MEAG Power SPVP, LLC (MEAG SPVP) to take certain actions which partially mitigate potential financial exposure for the other Vogtle Owners, including additional amendments to the Vogtle Joint Ownership Agreements and the purchase of PTCs from the other Vogtle Owners at pre-established prices, and (ii) a term sheet (MEAG Term Sheet) with MEAG Power and MEAG SPVJ to provide up to $300 million of funding with respect to MEAG SPVJ's ownership interest in Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 under certain circumstances. In January 2019, Georgia Power, MEAG Power, and MEAG SPVJ entered into an agreement to implement the provisions of the MEAG Term Sheet. In February 2019, Georgia Power, the other Vogtle Owners, and MEAG Power's wholly-owned subsidiaries MEAG SPVJ, MEAG SPVM, and MEAG SPVP entered into certain amendments to the Vogtle Joint Ownership Agreements to implement the provisions of the Vogtle Owner Term Sheet (Global Amendments).

Pursuant to the Global Amendments: (i) each Vogtle Owner must pay its proportionate share of qualifying construction costs for Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 based on its ownership percentage up to the estimated cost at completion (EAC) for Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4, of which Georgia Power's share is $8.4 billion (VCM 19 Forecast Amount), plus $800 million; (ii) Georgia Power will be responsible for 55.7% of actual qualifying construction costs between $800 million and $1.6 billion over the VCM 19 Forecast Amount (resulting in $80 million of potential additional costs to Georgia Power), with the remaining Vogtle Owners responsible for 44.3% of such costs pro rata in accordance with their respective ownership interests; and (iii) Georgia Power will be responsible for 65.7% of qualifying construction costs between $1.6 billion and $2.1 billion over the VCM 19 Forecast Amount (resulting in a further $100 million of potential additional costs to Georgia Power), with the remaining Vogtle Owners responsible for 34.3% of such costs pro rata in accordance with their respective ownership interests. The Global Amendments provide that if the EAC is revised and exceeds the VCM 19 Forecast Amount by more than $2.1 billion, each of the other Vogtle Owners will have a one-time option at the time the project budget cost forecast is so revised to tender a portion of its ownership interest to Georgia Power in exchange for Georgia Power's agreement to pay 100% of such Vogtle Owner's remaining share of total construction costs in excess of the VCM 19 Forecast Amount plus $2.1 billion.

For purposes of the foregoing provisions, qualifying construction costs will not include costs (i) resulting from force majeure events, including epidemics and quarantines, governmental actions or inactions (or significant delays associated with issuance of such actions) that affect the licensing, completion, start-up, operations, or financing of Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4, administrative proceedings or litigation regarding ITAAC or other regulatory challenges to commencement of operation of Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4, and changes in laws or regulations governing Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4, (ii) legal fees and legal expenses incurred due to litigation with contractors or subcontractors that are not subsidiaries or affiliates of Southern Company, and (iii) additional costs caused by requests from the Vogtle Owners other than Georgia Power, except for the exercise of a right to vote granted under the Vogtle Joint Ownership Agreements, that increase costs by $100,000 or more.

In addition, pursuant to the Global Amendments, the holders of at least 90% of the ownership interests in Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 must vote to continue construction if certain adverse events (Project Adverse Events) occur, including, among other events: (i) the bankruptcy of Toshiba; (ii) the termination or rejection in bankruptcy of certain agreements, including the Vogtle Services Agreement, the Bechtel Agreement, or the agency agreement with

Southern Nuclear; (iii) Georgia Power's public announcement of its intention not to submit for rate recovery any portion of its investment in Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 or the Georgia PSC determines that any of Georgia Power's costs relating to the construction of Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 will not be recovered in retail rates, excluding any additional amounts paid by Georgia Power on behalf of the other Vogtle Owners pursuant to the Global Amendments described above and the first 6% of costs during any six-month VCM reporting period that are disallowed by the Georgia PSC for recovery, or for which Georgia Power elects not to seek cost recovery, through retail rates; and (iv) an incremental extension of one year or more from the seventeenth VCM report estimated in-service dates of November 2021 and November 2022 for Units 3 and 4, respectively. The schedule extension announced in February 2022 triggered the requirement for a vote to continue construction and all the Vogtle Owners voted to continue construction.

Georgia Power and the other Vogtle Owners do not agree on either the starting dollar amount for the determination of cost increases subject to the cost-sharing and tender provisions of the Global Amendments or the extent to which COVID-19-related costs impact those provisions. The other Vogtle Owners notified Georgia Power that they believe the project capital cost forecast approved by the Vogtle Owners in February 2022 triggered the tender provisions. In June 2022 and July 2022, OPC and Dalton, respectively, notified Georgia Power of their purported exercises of their tender options. Georgia Power did not accept these purported tender exercises.

In June 2022, OPC and MEAG Power each filed a separate lawsuit against Georgia Power in the Superior Court of Fulton County, Georgia seeking a declaratory judgment that the starting dollar amount is $17.1 billion and that the cost-sharing and tender provisions had been triggered. The lawsuits also assert other claims, including breach of contract allegations, and seek, among other remedies, damages and injunctive relief requiring Georgia Power to track and allocate construction costs consistent with MEAG Power's and OPC's interpretations of the Global Amendments. In July 2022, Georgia Power filed its answers in the lawsuits filed by MEAG Power and OPC and included counterclaims seeking a declaratory judgment that the starting dollar amount is $18.38 billion and that costs related to force majeure events are excluded prior to calculating the cost-sharing and tender provisions and when calculating Georgia Power's related financial obligations. In September 2022, Dalton filed complaints in each of these lawsuits. Also in September 2022, Georgia Power and MEAG Power reached an agreement to resolve their dispute regarding the proper interpretation of the cost-sharing and tender provisions of the Global Amendments. Under the terms of the agreement, among other items, (i) MEAG Power will not exercise its tender option and will retain its full ownership interest in Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4; (ii) Georgia Power will reimburse a portion of MEAG Power's costs of construction for Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 as such costs are incurred and with no further adjustment for force majeure costs, which payments will total approximately $92 million based on the current project capital cost forecast; and (iii) Georgia Power will reimburse 20% of MEAG Power's costs of construction with respect to any amounts over the current project capital cost forecast, with no further adjustment for force majeure costs. In addition, MEAG Power agreed to vote to continue construction upon occurrence of a Project Adverse Event unless the commercial operation date of either of Plant Vogtle Unit 3 or Unit 4 is not projected to occur by December 31, 2025. In October 2022, MEAG Power and Georgia Power filed a notice of settlement and voluntary dismissal of their pending litigation, including Georgia Power's counterclaim, and Dalton dismissed its related complaint.

Georgia Power recorded pre-tax charges to income through the fourth quarter 2022 of $407 million ($304 million after tax) associated with the cost-sharing and tender provisions of the Global Amendments, including the settlement with MEAG Power. This total is included in the total project capital cost forecast and will not be recovered from retail customers. The settlement with MEAG Power does not resolve the separate pending litigation with OPC, including Dalton's associated complaint, described above. Georgia Power may be required to record further pre-tax charges to income of up to approximately $345 million associated with the cost-sharing and tender provisions of the Global Amendments for OPC and Dalton based on the current project capital cost forecast.

Georgia Power's ownership interest in Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 continues to be 45.7%. Georgia Power believes the increases in the total project capital cost forecast through December 31, 2022 triggered the tender provisions, but Georgia Power disagrees with OPC and Dalton on the tender provisions trigger date. Valid notices of tender from OPC and Dalton would require Georgia Power to pay 100% of their respective remaining shares of the costs

necessary to complete Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4. Georgia Power's incremental ownership interest will be calculated and conveyed to Georgia Power after Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 are placed in service.

The ultimate outcome of these matters cannot be determined at this time.

Regulatory Matters

In 2009, the Georgia PSC voted to certify construction of Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 with a certified capital cost of $4.418 billion. In addition, in 2009 the Georgia PSC approved inclusion of the Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 related CWIP accounts in rate base, and the State of Georgia enacted the Georgia Nuclear Energy Financing Act, which allows Georgia Power to recover financing costs for Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4. Financing costs are recovered on all applicable certified costs through annual adjustments to the NCCR tariff up to the certified capital cost of $4.418 billion. At March 31, 2023, Georgia Power had recovered approximately $2.9 billion of financing costs. Financing costs related to capital costs above $4.418 billion are being recognized through AFUDC and are expected to be recovered through retail rates over the life of Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4; however, Georgia Power is not recording AFUDC related to any capital costs in excess of the total deemed reasonable by the Georgia PSC (currently $7.3 billion) and not requested for rate recovery. In December 2022, the Georgia PSC approved Georgia Power's filing to increase the NCCR tariff by $36 million annually, effective January 1, 2023.

Georgia Power is required to file semi-annual VCM reports with the Georgia PSC by February 28 and August 31 of each year. In 2013, in connection with the eighth VCM report, the Georgia PSC approved a stipulation between Georgia Power and the staff of the Georgia PSC to waive the requirement to amend the Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 certificate in accordance with the 2009 certification order until the completion of Plant Vogtle Unit 3, or earlier if deemed appropriate by the Georgia PSC and Georgia Power.

In 2016, the Georgia PSC voted to approve a settlement agreement (Vogtle Cost Settlement Agreement) resolving certain prudency matters in connection with the fifteenth VCM report. In December 2017, the Georgia PSC voted to approve (and issued its related order on January 11, 2018) Georgia Power's seventeenth VCM report and modified the Vogtle Cost Settlement Agreement. The Vogtle Cost Settlement Agreement, as modified by the January 11, 2018 order, resolved the following regulatory matters related to Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4: (i) none of the $3.3 billion of costs incurred through December 31, 2015 and reflected in the fourteenth VCM report should be disallowed from rate base on the basis of imprudence; (ii) the Contractor Settlement Agreement was reasonable and prudent and none of the $0.3 billion paid pursuant to the Contractor Settlement Agreement should be disallowed from rate base on the basis of imprudence; (iii) (a) capital costs incurred up to $5.68 billion would be presumed to be reasonable and prudent with the burden of proof on any party challenging such costs, (b) Georgia Power would have the burden to show that any capital costs above $5.68 billion were prudent, and (c) a revised capital cost forecast of $7.3 billion (after reflecting the impact of payments received under the Guarantee Settlement Agreement and related customer refunds) was found reasonable; (iv) construction of Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 should be completed, with Southern Nuclear serving as project manager and Bechtel as primary contractor; (v) approved and deemed reasonable Georgia Power's revised schedule placing Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 in service in November 2021 and November 2022, respectively; (vi) confirmed that the revised cost forecast does not represent a cost cap and that a prudence proceeding on cost recovery will occur following Unit 4 fuel load, consistent with applicable Georgia law; (vii) reduced the ROE used to calculate the NCCR tariff (a) from 10.95% (the ROE rate setting point authorized by the Georgia PSC at that time) to 10.00% effective January 1, 2016, (b) from 10.00% to 8.30%, effective January 1, 2020, and (c) from 8.30% to 5.30%, effective January 1, 2021 (provided that the ROE in no case will be less than Georgia Power's average cost of long-term debt); (viii) reduced the ROE used for AFUDC equity for Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 from 10.00% to Georgia Power's average cost of long-term debt, effective January 1, 2018; and (ix) agreed that effective the first month after Unit 3 reaches commercial operation, retail base rates would be adjusted to include the costs related to Unit 3 and common facilities deemed prudent in the Vogtle Cost Settlement Agreement (see Note 2 to the financial statements under "Georgia Power – Plant Vogtle Unit 3 and Common Facilities Rate Proceeding" in Item 8 of the Form 10-K for additional information). The January 11, 2018 order also stated that if Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 are not commercially operational by June 1, 2021 and June 1, 2022, respectively, the ROE used to calculate the NCCR tariff will be further reduced by 10 basis points each month

(but not lower than Georgia Power's average cost of long-term debt) until the respective Unit is commercially operational. The ROE reductions negatively impacted earnings by approximately $300 million in 2022 and are estimated to have negative earnings impacts of approximately $270 million in 2023 and $60 million in 2024. In its January 11, 2018 order, the Georgia PSC also stated if other conditions change and assumptions upon which Georgia Power's seventeenth VCM report are based do not materialize, the Georgia PSC reserved the right to reconsider the decision to continue construction.

In the August 2021 order approving the twenty-fourth VCM report, the Georgia PSC approved a stipulation addressing the following matters: (i) beginning with its twenty-fifth VCM report, Georgia Power will continue to report to the Georgia PSC all costs incurred during the period for review and will request for approval costs up to the $7.3 billion determined to be reasonable in the Georgia PSC's seventeenth VCM order and (ii) Georgia Power will not seek rate recovery of the $0.7 billion increase to the base capital cost forecast included in the nineteenth VCM report and charged to income by Georgia Power in the second quarter 2018. In addition, the stipulation confirms Georgia Power may request verification and approval of costs above $7.3 billion for inclusion in rate base at a later time, but no earlier than the prudence review contemplated by the seventeenth VCM order described previously.

The Georgia PSC has approved 25 VCM reports covering periods through June 30, 2021. These reports reflect total construction capital costs incurred of $7.9 billion (net of $1.7 billion of payments received under the Guarantee Settlement Agreement and approximately $188 million in related customer refunds), of which the Georgia PSC has verified and approved $7.3 billion as described above. The Georgia PSC also has reviewed two additional VCM reports, which reflected $1.1 billion of additional construction capital costs incurred through June 30, 2022. Georgia Power filed its twenty-eighth VCM report with the Georgia PSC on February 16, 2023, which reflected the revised capital cost forecast described above and $461 million of construction capital costs incurred from July 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022.

The ultimate outcome of these matters cannot be determined at this time.

Mississippi Power

Performance Evaluation Plan

On March 15, 2023, Mississippi Power submitted its annual retail PEP filing for 2023 to the Mississippi PSC indicating no change in retail rates. The ultimate outcome of this matter cannot be determined at this time.

Ad Valorem Tax Adjustment

On March 31, 2023, Mississippi Power submitted its annual ad valorem tax adjustment filing for 2023, which requested a $7 million annual decrease in revenues. The ultimate outcome of this matter cannot be determined at this time.

Environmental Compliance Overview Plan

On April 4, 2023, the Mississippi PSC approved Mississippi Power's annual ECO Plan filing, resulting in a $3 million annual increase in revenues effective with the first billing cycle of May 2023.

System Restoration Rider

On April 4, 2023, the Mississippi PSC approved Mississippi Power's annual SRR filing, which indicated no change in retail rates. Mississippi Power's minimum annual SRR accrual was increased from $8 million to $12 million.

Southern Company Gas

Infrastructure Replacement Programs and Capital Projects

Capital expenditures incurred under specific infrastructure replacement programs and capital projects during the first three months of 2023 were as follows:

Utility	Program	Three Months Ended March 31, 2023
		(in millions)
Nicor Gas	Investing in Illinois	$	62
Virginia Natural Gas	SAVE	20
Atlanta Gas Light	System Reinforcement Rider	32
Chattanooga Gas	Pipeline Replacement Program	1
Total		$	115