Siemens to Supply Southern Company’s Energy Management System

Siemens Power Transmission & Distribution, Inc. announced that Southern Company has selected its Spectrum Power™ 3 energy management system to monitor, control, and optimize the reliability of its transmission system consisting of over 27,000 miles of transmission lines, 3,400 substations, and more than 300,000 acres of right of way.

Quote from RALEIGH, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Southern Company’s new energy management system (EMS) will replace systems at Georgia Power, Alabama Power, Mississippi Power, and Gulf Power, and a centralized Power Coordination Center, all with emergency back up sites.

Siemens’ solution provides a set of products and services that are field proven thus reducing risk while aiding the delivery of an extremely successful project. Elements of the Siemens solution include the best training in the industry; unrivaled commitment to project management with PM@Siemens; a realistic project schedule; and teaming arrangements that foster communication, partnership, and knowledge transfer.

"The solution we are delivering to Southern Company not only provides the benefits of the latest future proof technology in the industry but also facilitates Southern Company’s ability to manage the life cycle cost of their system. Our delivery model includes long term services and upgrades after the system is commissioned, which ensures the system is maintained in a continuously current state well into the future,” stated Kevin Sullivan, vice president and general manager of Siemens Power Transmission & Distribution’s Energy Management & Automation division.

An energy management system is a complex system of computer-aided tools used by operators to monitor, control, and optimize the reliability of the transmission system. It gathers real-time data from substations, plants and neighboring utilities and delivers the data to operators, advanced power systems applications, and other supporting applications. The operators and associated applications then use the data to perform transmission system operations, modeling, analysis and other critical functions.

“Siemens’ system met our needs including the crucial security requirements necessary on a transmission system of our size and significance,” said Billy Ball, transmission planning and operations senior vice president. “Siemens’ solution provides Southern Company the ability to improve the services we provide to our customers and allows for future growth, at the same time maintaining the reliability of the electrical grid.”

“The Spectrum Power system is designed with the large utility in mind, and Siemens is leading the industry in architecture and product direction and with future enhancements that will reflect the needs of large utilities,” added Don Roberts, EMS director.

The new Spectrum Power EMS by Siemens will help Southern Company meet future growth in its 120,000-square-mile service territory and better manage its transmission system, which meets North American Electric Reliability Council standards and provides a safe and reliable grid.

About Southern Company

With 4.3 million customers and more than 42,000 megawatts of generating capacity, Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is the premier energy company serving the Southeast, one of America’s fastest-growing regions. A leading U.S. producer of electricity, Southern Company owns electric utilities in four states and a growing competitive generation company, as well as fiber optics and wireless communications. Southern Company brands are known for excellent customer service, high reliability and retail electric prices that are significantly below the national average. Southern Company has been listed the top ranking U.S. electric service provider in customer satisfaction for seven consecutive years by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Visit our Web site at www.southerncompany.com.

About Siemens Power Transmission & Distribution (USA)

Siemens Power Transmission & Distribution, Inc., headquartered in Raleigh, NC, creates innovative product, system and service solutions for its customers – electric utilities, transmission organizations, Independent System Operators, and large energy consumers. It is a leading supplier of high and medium voltage power delivery equipment, energy management systems, network planning and power system engineering software for regulated and deregulated generation, transmission, and distribution markets. The company’s products and systems are used to increase power system capacity and improve the reliability, stability and flexibility of power delivery and network control systems. It has operations in Wendell, NC; Jackson, MS; Minneapolis, MN; San Jose, CA; Schenectady, NY; Jackson, TN; Heber Springs, AR; and Atlanta, GA. For more information visit us at: www.usa.siemens.com/energy.

Siemens AG (NYSE:SI) is one of the largest global electronics and engineering companies with reported worldwide sales of $107.4 billion in fiscal 2006. Founded 160 years ago, the company is a leader in the areas of Medical, Power, Automation and Control, Transportation, Information and Communications, Lighting, Building Technologies, Water Technologies and Services and Home Appliances. With its U.S. corporate headquarters in New York City, Siemens in the USA has sales of $21.4 billion and employs approximately 70,000 people throughout all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Eleven of Siemens' worldwide businesses are based in the United States. With its global headquarters in Munich, Siemens AG and its subsidiaries employ 480,000 people in 190 countries. For more information on Siemens in the United States: www.usa.siemens.com.