Company: SOJE
Filing Date: 2025-02-20
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0000092122-25-000018
Chunk: 4255

Company: SOUTHERN CO
Filing Date: 2025-02-20
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1A
Chunk 4255
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 losses would be recovered through customer rates. Additionally, the cost and operational consequences of implementing, maintaining, and enhancing system protection measures are significant, and they could materially increase to address ever changing intense, complex, and sophisticated cyber risks.

The Southern Company system may not be able to obtain adequate natural gas, fuel supplies, and other resources required to operate the traditional electric operating companies' and Southern Power's electric generating plants or serve Southern Company Gas' natural gas customers.

SCS, on behalf of the traditional electric operating companies and Southern Power, purchases fuel for the Southern Company system's generation fleet from a diverse set of suppliers. Southern Company Gas' primary business is the distribution of natural gas through the natural gas distribution utilities. Natural gas is delivered daily from different regions of the country. This daily supply is complemented by natural gas supplies stored in both company-owned and third-party storage locations. To deliver this daily supply and stored natural gas, the Southern Company system has firm transportation capacity contracted with third-party interstate pipelines while Southern Company Gas utilizes its own pipeline network. Disruption in the supply and/or delivery of fuel as a result of matters such as transportation delays, weather, labor relations, natural disasters, cyber or physical attacks, other force majeure events, or environmental regulations affecting fuel suppliers could limit the ability of the traditional electric operating companies and Southern Power to operate certain facilities, which could impact reliability and result in higher fuel and operating costs, and the ability of Southern Company Gas to serve its natural gas customers.

The traditional electric operating companies are also dependent on coal, and related coal supply contracts, for a portion of their electric generating capacity. The counterparties to coal supply contracts may not fulfill their obligations to supply coal because of financial or technical problems. In addition, the suppliers and/or railroads may be delayed in supplying or delivering or may not be required to supply or deliver coal under certain circumstances, such as in the event of a natural disaster. If the traditional electric operating companies are unable to obtain their contracted coal requirements, they may be required to purchase additional coal at higher prices or limit coal generation, and these increased costs may not be recoverable through rates if deemed to be imprudently incurred. As coal-fired generating facilities are retired, the demand for coal is expected to continue to decline. As a result, railroads may commit fewer resources to coal transportation, which could increase these risks.

Whereas fuel oil directly provides only a small portion of the Southern Company system's annual generation, its importance to the reliability of the Southern Company system's generation portfolio continues