W. Paul Bowers
President of Generation and Energy Marketing for Southern Company

Paul Bowers is president of generation and energy marketing for Southern Company, one of the largest producers of power in the United States. As a member of Southern Company’s team for 25 years, Bowers leadership has helped to develop a regional powerhouse that is the largest energy supplier in the Southeast.

A REGIONAL POWERHOUSE

Southern Company Generation and Energy Marketing (GEM) -- which employs approximately 6,000 people -- owns, manages and operates 273 coal, oil, gas and hydro generating units at 71 power plants with a combined capacity of 39,000 megawatts. These facilities serve 4 million retail customers in a territory spanning most of Alabama and Georgia, southeastern Mississippi and the Florida panhandle, and include plants owned and operated by the competitive wholesale subsidiary, Southern Power.

COMPETITIVE GENERATION STRATEGY

The competitive generation business is one component of Southern Company’s three - prong strategy for the future: constant growth of the regulated business, development of energy - related products and services, and increased activity in the competitive energy business. Bowers, also as president of Southern Power, oversees the building, acquisition, and operation of competitive wholesale generation assets for Southern Company’s growth business.

STRATEGY FOR SUCCESS

The company’s strategy for success in the unregulated area is to link the building of new generation to long-term bi-lateral contracts, minimize fuel risk, and do business with investment-grade counter parties. The successful implementation of this strategy has given Southern Company one of the lowest risk profiles in the industry. Bowers expects to have about 6,000 megawatts of competitive generation online by the end of 2005 to serve primarily the “Super Southeast.”

In October 2003, Southern announced the commercial operation of Stanton A, a new 630 megawatt facility near Orlando, Florida. This joint project of Southern Company, Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC-The Reliable One), Florida Municipal Power Agency (FMPA), and Kissimmee Utility Authority (KUA), will operate under a long-term power purchase agreement with the other principles purchasing Southern Company’s ownership share .

"This project is yet another example of our growing presence in the wholesale market in the Super Southeast," said Bowers. "The completion of Stanton A illustrates what we do very well, design construct and manage generation facilities, to meet the growing energy needs of customers in this region."

SOUTHERN TRADITION

Bowers joined Southern Company in 1979 at Gulf Power. After a number of senior management and marketing positions, he was elected president and chief executive officer of South Western Electricity Plc. in 1998, then a subsidiary of Southern Company. He undertook that company’s restructuring and re branding as Western Power Distribution Plc. Back in the U.S., Bowers was then tapped to serve as Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Southern Company.

A graduate of the University of West Florida, Bowers also holds a Master’s degree in Management, and is a graduate of Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program.