News & Events

Good afternoon. It's a privilege for me to be here addressing you. I have the greatest admiration for the work of Rotary International - your humanitarian efforts and your exceptional programs to promote international peace and goodwill.

And I must say I'm happy to be here in Alabama - and not just because you get more than a quarter of your electricity from nuclear energy. It's always good to visit with my friends Jim Miller and George Hairston. The consistently high level of excellence achieved by the Southern Company, Alabama Power Company and Southern Nuclear is among the reasons why the present state of nuclear energy is so strong, and why the future holds so much promise.

I want to talk to you today about the reasons for that healthy outlook -- what we call America's Nuclear Renaissance. I assure you the renaissance didn't happen by accident. The commitment, technical expertise and plain old hard work of companies such as Southern Nuclear at Plant Farley in Dothan and their other locations have built an unparalleled record of safety and reliability for nuclear energy.

Nuclear energy produces electricity for one out of every five homes and businesses in the United States. It is safe, economical, emission free, reliable — more importantly than ever — nuclear fuel and nuclear technology are available in abundance right here in the U.S. These advantages are important now, but are absolutely vital to our energy future.

Because of these advantages, and the performance of Southern Nuclear and all 103 reactors nationwide, nuclear energy is an energy and environmental imperative.