SEGMENT AND RELATED INFORMATION (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2021

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

Financial data for business segments

Financial data for business segments and products and services for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020, and 2019 was as follows:

	Electric Utilities
	Traditional Electric Operating Companies		Southern Power		Eliminations		Total		Southern Company Gas		All Other		Eliminations		Consolidated
	(in millions)
2021
Operating revenues	$	16,614	$	2,216	$	(530)	$	18,300	$	4,380	$	582	$	(149)	$	23,113
Depreciation and amortization	2,436		517		—		2,953		536		76		—		3,565
Interest income	20		1		—		21		—		4		(3)		22
Earnings from equity method investments	1		—		—		1		50		24		1		76
Interest expense	821		147		—		968		238		631		—		1,837
Income taxes (benefit)	232		(13)		—		219		275		(227)		—		267
Segment net income (loss)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)	1,981		266		—		2,247		539		(384)		(9)		2,393
Goodwill	—		2		—		2		5,015		263		—		5,280
Assets held for sale	39		—		—		39		—		3		—		42
Total assets	89,051		13,390		(667)		101,774		23,560		2,975		(775)		127,534
2020
Operating revenues	$	15,135	$	1,733	$	(371)	$	16,497	$	3,434	$	596	$	(152)	$	20,375
Depreciation and amortization	2,447		494		—		2,941		500		77		—		3,518
Interest income	26		4		—		30		5		6		(4)		37
Earnings from equity method investments	—		—		—		—		141		12		—		153
Interest expense	825		151		—		976		231		614		—		1,821
Income taxes (benefit)	514		3		—		517		173		(297)		—		393
Segment net income (loss)(a)(b)(f)(g)(h)	2,877		238		—		3,115		590		(592)		6		3,119
Goodwill	—		2		—		2		5,015		263		—		5,280
Assets held for sale	5		—		—		5		—		55		—		60
Total assets	85,486		13,235		(680)		98,041		22,630		3,168		(904)		122,935
2019
Operating revenues	$	15,569	$	1,938	$	(412)	$	17,095	$	3,792	$	690	$	(158)	$	21,419
Depreciation and amortization	1,993		479		—		2,472		487		79		—		3,038
Interest income	38		9		—		47		3		16		(6)		60
Earnings from equity method investments	2		3		—		5		157		—		—		162
Interest expense	818		169		—		987		232		517		—		1,736
Income taxes (benefit)	764		(56)		—		708		130		960		—		1,798
Segment net income (loss)(a)(f)(i)(j)(k)	2,929		339		—		3,268		585		908		(22)		4,739
Goodwill	—		2		—		2		5,015		263		—		5,280
Assets held for sale	—		618		—		618		171		—		—		789
Total assets	81,063		14,300		(713)		94,650		21,687		3,511		(1,148)		118,700

(a)Attributable to Southern Company.

(b)For the traditional electric operating companies, includes pre-tax charges at Georgia Power for estimated losses associated with the construction of Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 of $1.7 billion ($1.3 billion after tax) in 2021 and $325 million ($242 million after tax) in 2020. See Note 2 under "Georgia Power – Nuclear Construction" for additional information.

(c)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.

(d)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.

(e)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.

(f)For the "All Other" column, includes pre-tax impairment charges totaling $7 million ($6 million after tax) in 2021, $206 million ($105 million after tax) in 2020, and $17 million ($13 million after tax) in 2019 related to leveraged lease investments. See Notes 9 and 15 under "Southern Company Leveraged Lease" and "Southern Company," respectively, for additional information.

(g)For Southern Power, includes a $39 million pre-tax gain ($23 million gain after tax) on the sale of Plant Mankato. See Note 15 under "Southern Power" for additional information.

(h)For Southern Company Gas, includes a $22 million pre-tax gain ($16 million gain after tax) on the sale of Jefferson Island. See Note 15 under "Southern Company Gas" for additional information.

(i)For Southern Power, includes a $23 million pre-tax gain ($88 million gain after tax) on the sale of Plant Nacogdoches. See Note 15 under "Southern Power" for additional information.

(j)For Southern Company Gas, includes pre-tax impairment charges totaling $115 million ($86 million after tax). See Note 15 under "Southern Company Gas" for additional information.

(k)For the "All Other" column, includes the pre-tax gain associated with the sale of Gulf Power of $2.6 billion ($1.4 billion after tax) and the pre-tax loss, including related impairment charges, on the sales of certain PowerSecure business units totaling $58 million ($52 million after tax). See Note 15 under "Southern Company" for additional information.

Financial data for business segments for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020, and 2019 was as follows:

	Gas Distribution Operations		Gas Pipeline Investments		Wholesale Gas Services(a)		Gas Marketing Services		Total		All Other		Eliminations		Consolidated
	(in millions)
2021
Operating revenues	$	3,679	$	32	$	188	$	475	$	4,374	$	38	$	(32)	$	4,380
Depreciation and amortization	482		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 expense	207		25		2		3		237		1		—		238
Income taxes (benefit)	120		27		32		34		213		62		—		275
Segment net income (loss)(b)(c)(d)	412		19		107		88		626		(87)		—		539
Total assets	20,917		1,467		31		1,556		23,971		12,114		(12,525)		23,560
2020
Operating revenues	$	2,952	$	32	$	74	$	408	$	3,466	$	36	$	(68)	$	3,434
Depreciation and amortization	442		5		1		22		470		30		—		500
Operating income (loss)	655		20		20		119		814		(7)		5		812
Earnings from equity method investments	—		141		—		—		141		—		—		141
Interest expense	192		29		4		3		228		3		—		231
Income taxes (benefit)	114		33		3		28		178		(5)		—		173
Segment net income (loss)(e)	390		99		14		89		592		(2)		—		590
Total assets	19,090		1,597		850		1,503		23,040		11,336		(11,746)		22,630
2019
Operating revenues	$	3,028	$	32	$	294	$	456	$	3,810	$	44	$	(62)	$	3,792
Depreciation and amortization	422		5		1		26		454		33		—		487
Operating income (loss)	573		20		219		112		924		(154)		—		770
Earnings from equity method investments	—		162		—		—		162		(5)		—		157
Interest expense	187		30		5		3		225		7		—		232
Income taxes (benefit)	63		58		52		27		200		(70)		—		130
Segment net income (loss)(f)	337		94		163		83		677		(92)		—		585
Total assets	18,204		1,678		850		1,496		22,228		10,759		(11,300)		21,687

(a)The revenues for wholesale gas services are 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 Revenues		Intercompany Revenues		Total Gross Revenues		Less Gross Gas Costs		Operating Revenues
	(in millions)
2021	$	3,881	$	90	$	3,971	$	3,783	$	188
2020	4,544		115		4,659		4,585		74
2019	5,703		275		5,978		5,684		294

(b)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.

(c)For wholesale gas services, includes a pre-tax gain of $121 million ($92 million after tax) related to the sale of Sequent.

(d)For the "All Other" column, includes $85 million of additional tax expense due to changes in state apportionment rates as a result of the sale of Sequent.

(e)For the "All Other" column includes a $22 million pre-tax gain ($16 million gain after tax) on the sale of Jefferson Island.

(f)For the "All Other" column, includes pre-tax impairment charges totaling $115 million ($86 million after tax). See Note 15 under "Southern Company Gas" for additional information.

Financial data for products and services

Products and Services

Electric Utilities' Revenues
Year	Retail		Wholesale		Other		Total
	(in millions)
2021	$	14,852	$	2,455	$	993	$	18,300
2020	13,643		1,945		909		16,497
2019	14,084		2,152		859		17,095

Southern Company Gas' Revenues
Year	Gas Distribution Operations		Gas Marketing Services		All Other		Total
	(in millions)
2021	$	3,656	$	475	$	249	$	4,380
2020	2,902		408		124		3,434
2019	3,001		456		335		3,792

Schedule of reconciliation of operating revenues and intercompany revenues

A reconciliation of operating revenues and intercompany revenues is shown in the following table.

	Third Party Gross Revenues		Intercompany Revenues		Total Gross Revenues		Less Gross Gas Costs		Operating Revenues
	(in millions)
2021	$	3,881	$	90	$	3,971	$	3,783	$	188
2020	4,544		115		4,659		4,585		74
2019	5,703		275		5,978		5,684		294