Responsible Water Use
Water is an essential resource in Southern Company’s operations. We are committed to responsible use and protection of our water resources, by meeting all environmental laws and regulations. We consider the impact of the Southern Company system’s current and future operations on water quality and availability, focusing on researching, developing, and evaluating innovative technologies that address industry needs, while providing benefits to customers and the environment.
From 2007 to 2022, the Southern Company system has significantly reduced its water use. We have:
- Decreased average annual surface water withdrawal by approximately 70% through converting thermoelectric generation plants from once-through cooling to closed-cycle cooling and shifting our generation portfolio to lower water intensive technologies
- Decreased water consumption by approximately 40%
- Returned, on average, approximately 93% of the water withdrawn back to its source
We expect annual surface water withdrawal to further decrease as the Southern Company system continues to modernize its generating fleet and implement new technologies.
Water Research and Conservation Center
Southern Company is a leader in water conservation, collaborating with the Electric Power Research Institute at the cofounded Water Research and Conservation Center located at Georgia Power Company’s Plant McDonough-Atkinson in Atlanta. We are identifying, testing and implementing innovative technologies to reduce our dependence on freshwater resources.
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