Company: SOJE
Filing Date: 2025-02-20
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0000092122-25-000018
Chunk: 104

Company: SOUTHERN CO
Filing Date: 2025-02-20
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 5
Chunk 104
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 Company guaranty, letter of credit, or cash. Additionally, a credit rating downgrade could impact the ability of the Registrants to access capital markets and would be likely to impact the cost at which they do so.

Mississippi Power and its largest retail customer, Chevron Products Company (Chevron), have agreements under which Mississippi Power provides retail service to the Chevron refinery in Pascagoula, Mississippi through at least 2038. The agreements grant Chevron a security interest in the co-generation assets owned by Mississippi Power located at the refinery that is exercisable upon the occurrence of (i) certain bankruptcy events or (ii) other events of default coupled with specific reductions in steam output at the facility and a downgrade of Mississippi Power's credit rating to below investment grade by two of the three rating agencies.

On May 2, 2024, S&P upgraded the issuer credit rating for Southern Company to A- from BBB+. Due to S&P's rating methodology, the upgrade of Southern Company's issuer credit rating resulted in the upgrade of the senior unsecured long-term debt ratings of Mississippi Power, Southern Company Gas Capital, and Atlanta Gas Light to A- from BBB+, the senior unsecured long-term debt rating of Georgia Power to A from BBB+, the senior unsecured long-term debt rating of Alabama Power to A from A-, and the senior unsecured long-term debt ratings of Southern Company and Southern Power to BBB+ from BBB. Nicor Gas' long-term issuer rating remained at A-. S&P revised its credit rating outlook for Southern Company and its subsidiaries to stable from positive.

On August 20, 2024, Fitch upgraded the senior unsecured long-term debt ratings of Georgia Power and Mississippi Power to A from A-.

On September 26, 2024, Moody's upgraded the senior unsecured long-term debt rating of Southern Company to Baa1 from Baa2 and of Georgia Power to A3 from Baa1. Moody's also revised the ratings outlook for Southern Company to stable from positive.

Market Price Risk

The Registrants had no material change in market risk exposure for the year ended December 31, 2024 when compared to the year ended December 31, 2023. See Note 14 to the financial statements for an in-depth discussion of the Registrants' derivatives, as well as Note 1 to the financial statements under "Financial Instruments" for additional information.

Due to cost-based rate regulation and other various cost recovery mechanisms, the traditional electric operating companies and the natural gas distribution utilities that