Exhibit 24(a)


February 21, 2000

A. W. Dahlberg, W. L. Westbrook, Tommy Chisholm, and Wayne Boston

Dear Sirs:

         The Southern Company proposes to file or join in the filing of reports
under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, with the Securities and
Exchange Commission with respect to the following: (1) the filing of this
Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1999 and
(2) the filing of Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K
during 2000.

         The Southern Company and the undersigned directors and officers of said
Company, individually as a director and/or as an officer of the Company, hereby
make, constitute and appoint each of you our true and lawful Attorney for each
of us and in each of our names, places and steads to sign and cause to be filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with the foregoing
said Annual Report on Form 10-K, said Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, any
Current Reports on Form 8-K and any necessary or appropriate amendment or
amendments to any such reports, to be accompanied in each case by any necessary
or appropriate exhibits or schedules thereto.

                                Yours very truly,

                              THE SOUTHERN COMPANY

                              By /s/ A. W. Dahlberg
                                 A. W. Dahlberg
                             Chairman, President and
                             Chief Executive Officer


<PAGE>


                                      - 2 -

       /s/Dorrit J. Bern                              /s/Donald M. James
         Dorrit J. Bern                                Donald M. James

      /s/Thomas F. Chapman                           /s/David J. Lesar
       Thomas F. Chapman                               David J. Lesar

        /s/A. D. Correll                               /s/Zack T. Pate
         A. D. Correll                                   Zack T. Pate

       /s/A. W. Dahlberg                             /s/Gerald J. St. Pe'
         A. W. Dahlberg                               Gerald J. St. Pe'

      /s/H. Allen Franklin                         /s/Stephen A. Wakefield
       H. Allen Franklin                             Stephen A. Wakefield

                                                      /s/W. L. Westbrook
________________________________                       W. L. Westbrook
        Bruce S. Gordon

      /s/L. G. Hardman III                            /s/Tommy Chisholm
       L. G. Hardman III                                Tommy Chisholm

       /s/Elmer B. Harris                             /s/W. Dean Hudson
        Elmer B. Harris                                 W. Dean Hudson


<PAGE>
Extract from minutes of meeting of the board of directors of The Southern
Company.

                               - - - - - - - - - -

          RESOLVED: That for the purpose of signing the Company's Annual Report
on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1999, 2000 Form 10-Q's and Form
8-K's, and of remedying any deficiencies with respect thereto by appropriate
amendment or amendments, this Company, the members of its board of directors,
and its officers, are authorized to give their several powers of attorney to A.
W. Dahlberg, W. L. Westbrook, Tommy Chisholm, and Wayne Boston.

                               - - - - - - - - - -

         The undersigned officer of The Southern Company does hereby certify
that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of a resolution duly and regularly
adopted at a meeting of the board of directors of The Southern Company, duly
held on February 21, 2000, at which a quorum was in attendance and voting
throughout, and that said resolution has not since been rescinded but is still
in full force and effect.

Dated  March 24, 2000                         THE SOUTHERN COMPANY


                                           By /s/ Tommy Chisholm
                                                  Tommy Chisholm
                                                    Secretary