Southern Company reported first-quarter 2017 earnings of $658 million, or 66 cents per share, compared with earnings of $489 million, or 53 cents per share, in the first quarter of 2016. 

Excluding the items described in the "Net Income – Excluding Items" table below, Southern Company earned $652 million, or 66 cents per share, during the first quarter of 2017, compared with $536 million, or 58 cents per share, during the first quarter of 2016.

Earnings drivers year-over-year for the first quarter 2017 were positively influenced by Southern Company Gas, which was acquired on July 1, 2016.  Additionally, earnings were positively influenced by retail revenue effects and lower non-fuel operating and maintenance costs at Southern Company's traditional electric operating companies.  These impacts were partially offset by mild weather, increased interest expense and share issuances.

"Each of our major business units had a great start to the year," said Chairman, President and CEO Thomas A. Fanning. "Despite headwinds from unseasonably warm weather during the first two months of the year, our traditional electric and gas operating companies performed well, and they are on track to deliver on their targets for 2017 and beyond. In fact, Southern Company Gas – including its seven premier state-regulated gas utilities – performed exactly as expected."

First quarter 2017 operating revenues were $5.77 billion, compared with $3.99 billion for the first quarter of 2016, an increase of 44.6 percent. Southern Company Gas accounted for $1.56 billion of the increase in operating revenues for the first quarter of 2017.