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SEGMENT AND RELATED INFORMATION
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Segment Reporting [Abstract]  
SEGMENT AND RELATED INFORMATION SEGMENT AND RELATED INFORMATION
Southern Company
Southern Company's reportable business segments are the sale of electricity by the traditional electric operating companies, the sale of electricity in the competitive wholesale market by Southern Power, and the sale of natural gas and other complementary products and services by Southern Company Gas. Revenues from sales by Southern Power to the traditional electric operating companies were $537 million, $875 million, and $515 million in 2023, 2022, and 2021, respectively. Revenues from sales of natural gas from Southern Company Gas to the traditional electric operating companies were immaterial for all periods presented. Revenues from sales of natural gas from Southern Company Gas (prior to its sale of Sequent) to Southern Power were $18 million in 2021. The "All Other" column includes the Southern Company parent entity, which does not allocate operating expenses to business segments. Also, this category includes segments below the quantitative threshold for separate disclosure. These segments include providing distributed energy and resilience solutions and deploying microgrids for commercial, industrial, governmental, and utility customers, as well as investments in telecommunications. All other inter-segment revenues are not material.
Financial data for business segments and products and services for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021 was as follows:
Electric Utilities
Traditional
Electric
Operating
Companies		Southern
Power		EliminationsTotalSouthern Company GasAll
Other		EliminationsConsolidated
(in millions)
2023
Operating revenues$18,358 $2,189 $(549)$19,998 $4,702 $718 $(165)$25,253 
Depreciation and amortization3,361 504 — 3,865 582 78 — 4,525 
Interest income69 7 — 76 9 26 (26)85 
Earnings from equity method investments(1)— — (1)140 5 — 144 
Interest expense1,145 129 — 1,274 310 879 (17)2,446 
Income taxes (benefit)571 12 — 583 211 (298)— 496 
Segment net income (loss)(a)(b)(c)(d)
3,637 357 — 3,994 615 (635)2 3,976 
Goodwill— 2 — 2 5,015 144 — 5,161 
Total assets100,429 12,761 (545)112,645 25,083 2,446 (843)139,331 
2022
Operating revenues$20,408 $3,369 $(904)$22,873 $5,962 $593 $(149)$29,279 
Depreciation and amortization2,513 516 — 3,029 559 75 — 3,663 
Interest income44 3 — 47 3 16 (7)59 
Earnings from equity method investments— — — — 148 3 — 151 
Interest expense929 138 — 1,067 263 694 (2)2,022 
Income taxes (benefit)828 20 — 848 180 (233)— 795 
Segment net income (loss)(a)(b)(e)(f)
3,318 354 — 3,672 572 (711)(9)3,524 
Goodwill— 2 — 2 5,015 144 — 5,161 
Total assets95,861 13,081 (659)108,283 24,621 2,665 (678)134,891 
2021
Operating revenues$16,614 $2,216 $(530)$18,300 $4,380 $582 $(149)$23,113 
Depreciation and amortization2,436 517 — 2,953 536 76 — 3,565 
Interest income20 1 — 21 — 4 (3)22 
Earnings from equity method investments1 — — 1 50 24 1 76 
Interest expense821 147 — 968 238 631 — 1,837 
Income taxes (benefit)232 (13)— 219 275 (227)— 267 
Segment net income (loss)(a)(b)(g)(h)(i)
1,981 266 — 2,247 539 (384)(9)2,393 
Goodwill— 2 — 2 5,015 263 — 5,280 
Total assets89,051 13,390 (667)101,774 23,560 2,975 (775)127,534 
(a)Attributable to Southern Company.
(b)For the traditional electric operating companies, includes pre-tax charges (credits) to income at Georgia Power for the estimated probable loss associated with the construction of Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 of $(68) million ($(50) million after tax) in 2023, $183 million ($137 million after tax) in 2022, and $1.7 billion ($1.3 billion after tax) in 2021. See Note 2 under "Georgia Power – Nuclear Construction" for additional information.
(c)For Southern Power, includes an $18 million pre-tax loss recovery ($9 million after tax and partnership allocations) related to an arbitration award and a $16 million pre-tax gain ($12 million after tax) on the sale of spare parts. See Note 3 under "General Litigation Matters – Southern Power" for additional information.
(d)For Southern Company Gas, includes pre-tax charges totaling approximately $96 million ($72 million after tax) associated with the disallowance of certain capital investments at Nicor Gas. See Note 2 under "Southern Company Gas" for additional information.
(e)For Southern Company Gas, includes pre-tax impairment charges totaling approximately $131 million ($99 million after tax) related to the sale of natural gas storage facilities. See Note 15 under "Southern Company Gas" for additional information.
(f)For the "All Other" column, includes a $119 million goodwill impairment loss (pre-tax and after tax) at PowerSecure. See Note 1 under "Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets" for additional information.
(g)For Southern Power, includes gains on wind turbine equipment contributed to various equity method investments totaling approximately $37 million pre-tax ($28 million after tax). See Notes 7 and 15 under "Southern Power" for additional information.
(h)For Southern Company Gas, includes a pre-tax gain of $121 million ($92 million after tax) related to its sale of Sequent, as well as the resulting $85 million of additional tax expense due to changes in state apportionment rates, and pre-tax impairment charges totaling $84 million ($67 million after tax) related to its equity method investment in the PennEast Pipeline project. See Notes 7 and 15 under "Southern Company Gas" for additional information.
(i)For the "All Other" column, includes a pre-tax gain of $93 million ($99 million gain after tax) associated with the termination of two leveraged leases projects. See Note 15 under "Southern Company" for additional information.
Products and Services
Electric Utilities' Revenues
YearRetailWholesaleOtherTotal
(in millions)
2023$16,343 $2,467 $1,188 $19,998 
202218,197 3,641 1,035 22,873 
202114,852 2,455 993 18,300 
Southern Company Gas' Revenues
YearGas
Distribution
Operations		Gas
Marketing
Services		All OtherTotal
(in millions)
2023$4,090 $548 $64 $4,702 
20225,240 638 84 5,962 
20213,656 475 249 4,380 
Southern Company Gas
Southern Company Gas manages its business through three reportable segments – gas distribution operations, gas pipeline investments, and gas marketing services. Prior to the sale of Sequent on July 1, 2021, Southern Company Gas' reportable segments also included wholesale gas services. The non-reportable segments are combined and presented as all other. See Note 15 under "Southern Company Gas" for additional information on the disposition activities described herein.
Gas distribution operations is the largest component of Southern Company Gas' business and includes natural gas local distribution utilities that construct, manage, and maintain intrastate natural gas pipelines and gas distribution facilities in four states.
Gas pipeline investments consists of joint ventures in natural gas pipeline investments including a 50% interest in SNG and a 50% joint ownership interest in the Dalton Pipeline. These natural gas pipelines enable the provision of diverse sources of natural gas supplies to the customers of Southern Company Gas. See Notes 5 and 7 for additional information.
Through July 1, 2021, wholesale gas services provided natural gas asset management and/or related logistics services for each of Southern Company Gas' utilities except Nicor Gas as well as for non-affiliated companies. Additionally, wholesale gas services engaged in natural gas storage and gas pipeline arbitrage and related activities.
Gas marketing services provides natural gas marketing to end-use customers primarily in Georgia and Illinois through SouthStar.
The all other column includes segments and subsidiaries that fall below the quantitative threshold for separate disclosure, including storage and fuels operations. The all other column included a natural gas storage facility in Texas through its sale in November 2022 and a natural gas storage facility in California through its sale in September 2023.
Financial data for business segments for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021 was as follows:
Gas Distribution OperationsGas Pipeline Investments
Wholesale Gas Services(a)
Gas Marketing ServicesTotalAll OtherEliminationsConsolidated
(in millions)
2023
Operating revenues$4,105 $32 $— $548 $4,685 $36 $(19)$4,702 
Depreciation and amortization561 5 — 15 581 1 — 582 
Operating income (loss)804 22 — 130 956 (4)(13)939 
Earnings from equity method investments— 140 — — 140 — — 140 
Interest expense275 32 3 310 — — 310 
Income taxes126 32 — 37 195 16 — 211 
Segment net income (loss)(b)
441 98 — 91 630 (15)— 615 
Total assets22,906 1,534 — 1,615 26,055 9,675 (10,647)25,083 
2022
Operating revenues$5,267 $32 $— $638 $5,937 $55 $(30)$5,962 
Depreciation and amortization516 5 — 16 537 22 — 559 
Operating income (loss)803 21 — 133 957 (135)(8)814 
Earnings from equity method investments— 148 — — 148 — — 148 
Interest expense229 27 — 3 259 4 — 263 
Income taxes (benefit)145 35 — 37 217 (37)— 180 
Segment net income (loss)(c)
470 107 — 94 671 (99)— 572 
Total assets22,040 1,577 — 1,616 25,233 8,943 (9,555)24,621 
2021
Operating revenues$3,679 $32 $188 $475 $4,374 $38 $(32)$4,380 
Depreciation and amortization482 5 — 18 505 31 — 536 
Operating income (loss)708 21 241 125 1,095 (40)— 1,055 
Earnings from equity method investments— 50 — — 50 — — 50 
Interest expense207 25 2 3 237 1 — 238 
Income taxes120 27 32 34 213 62 — 275 
Segment net income (loss)(d)(e)(f)
412 19 107 88 626 (87)— 539 
Total assets20,917 1,467 31 1,556 23,971 12,114 (12,525)23,560 
(a)As a result of the sale of Sequent, wholesale gas services is no longer a reportable segment in 2023 or 2022. Prior to the sale of Sequent, the revenues for wholesale gas services were netted with costs associated with its energy and risk management activities. A reconciliation of operating revenues and intercompany revenues is shown in the following table.
Third Party Gross RevenuesIntercompany RevenuesTotal Gross Revenues Less Gross Gas CostsOperating Revenues
(in millions)
2021$3,881 $90 $3,971 $3,783 $188 
(b)For gas distribution operations, includes pre-tax charges totaling approximately $96 million ($72 million after tax) associated with the disallowance of certain capital investments at Nicor Gas. See Note 2 under "Southern Company Gas" for additional information.
(c)For the "All Other" column, includes pre-tax impairment charges totaling approximately $131 million ($99 million after tax) related to the sale of natural gas storage facilities. See Note 15 under "Southern Company Gas" for additional information.
(d)For gas pipeline investments, includes pre-tax impairment charges totaling $84 million ($67 million after tax) related to the equity method investment in the PennEast Pipeline project. See Note 7 under "Southern Company Gas" for additional information.
(e)For wholesale gas services, includes a pre-tax gain of $121 million ($92 million after tax) related to the sale of Sequent.
(f)For the "All Other" column, includes $85 million of additional tax expense as a result of the sale of Sequent.