Southern Company reported a second quarter 2017 loss of $1.38 billion, or $1.38 per share, compared with earnings of $623 million, or 67 cents per share, in the second quarter of 2016.  For the six months ended June 30, 2017, Southern Company reported a loss of $723 million, or 73 cents per share, compared with earnings of $1.11 billion, or $1.20 per share, for the same period in 2016.

Excluding the items described in the "Net Income – Excluding Items" table below, Southern Company earned $728 million, or 73 cents per share, during the second quarter of 2017, compared with $704 million, or 75 cents per share, during the second quarter of 2016.  For the six months ended June 30, 2017, excluding these items, Southern Company earned $1.38 billion, or $1.39 per share, compared with earnings of $1.24 billion, or $1.34 per share, for the same period in 2016.

NOTE: For more information regarding these non-GAAP adjustments, see the footnotes accompanying the Financial Highlights page of the earnings package.

Earnings drivers year-over-year for the second quarter 2017 were positively influenced by Southern Company Gas, which was acquired on July 1, 2016 and retail revenue effects at Southern Company's traditional electric operating companies.  Earnings were negatively influenced by mild weather, increased interest expense and share issuances.

"Our premier state-regulated electric and gas operating companies performed well during the second quarter," said Chairman, President and CEO Thomas A. Fanning. "This consistency in our core operations has been a hallmark of the Southern Company system and reflects our long-standing commitment to keep customers at the center of all we do as we continue to deliver safe, clean, reliable and affordable energy to the constituents we are privileged to serve."

Second quarter 2017 operating revenues were $5.43 billion, compared with $4.46 billion for the second quarter of 2016, an increase of 21.8 percent. Southern Company Gas accounted for $716 million of the increase in operating revenues for the second quarter of 2017.   For the six months ended June 30, 2017, operating revenues were $11.20 billion, compared with $8.45 billion, an increase of 32.6 percent.  Southern Company Gas accounted for $2.28 billion of the increase in operating revenues for the six months ended June 30, 2017.