Southern Company and the Tennessee Valley Authority announced mutual assistance agreements between Southern Company's four retail electric operating companies – Alabama Power, Georgia Power, Gulf Power and Mississippi Power – and TVA designed to further strengthen resiliency and reliability of the electric grid in the Southeast. The mutual assistance agreement will provide support through manpower and related equipment in response to evere weather or other significant events.

"Southern Company and TVA have a long history of working together on transmission planning and operations to develop vital, innovative solutions for delivering clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy to the customers we serve," Southern Company Chief Transmission Officer Billy Ball said. "These agreements reinforce the resiliency and reliability of the transmission grid, which is a great benefit for electric-utility customers across the Southeast."

As part of the agreements, TVA and each of Southern Company's four retail electric operating companies have agreed to the terms under which they would aid each other with manpower and related equipment for transmission restoration in crisis response situations. 

"These agreements will help ensure we can keep power flowing to local power companies who supply energy to homes and businesses in the Tennessee Valley," TVA Senior Vice President of Transmission and Power Supply Bob Dalrymple said. "Like Southern Company, we are keenly aware of our responsibility to improve the quality of life for the millions who rely on the low-cost, cleaner energy we supply."

This partnership is in addition to any other mutual assistance agreements, which are instrumental in safe and timely power restoration following severe events such as the recent Hurricane Matthew. For example, Southern Company's operating companies have received repeated recognition by the Edison Electric Institute for both emergency recovery work and emergency assistance following major storm events.