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Herbie Johnson: Rehabilitating Southern Company’s Hydro Fleet
Unit 5 at Southern Company’s Lay Dam, located near Clanton, Alabama, was modernized in 2020.
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outhern Company is one of the largest producers of electricity in the United States, with 42,000 megawatts (MW) of generating capacity. It has 9 million customers and businesses nationwide, with electric utilities in three states and natural gas distribution utilities in four. Approximately 2,800 MW of Southern Company’s power is generated by hydropower, making it one of the top hydropower producers in the nation. Over the next 10–15 years, Southern Company will be carrying out a complete overhaul of its 29 hydropower facilities. In this interview, we speak with Herbie Johnson, Southern Company’s hydro general manager, about how Southern Company is planning and carrying out this vital work.
Herbie Johnson: I spent 6 years in the military, then used the GI Bill to attend Auburn University, where I obtained a bachelor of science in civil engineering. I interviewed with the Alabama Power Company and started working in
8 | HYDRO LEADER | September 2021
Hydro Leader: Please tell us about Southern Company. Herbie Johnson: Southern Company has three regulated utilities: Mississippi Power Company, Alabama Power Company, and Georgia Power Company. We also have a natural gas company and a competitive wholesale firm called Southern Power. We currently serve 9 million customers through these subcompanies. We also supply transmission and distribution, fiber optics, and network communication services. Our brand is focused on excellent customer service, high reliability, and affordable prices. For more than a century, we’ve been in business building the energy future. Hydro Leader: What role does hydropower play in Southern Company’s overall operations? hydroleadermagazine.com
PHOTO COURTESY OF SOUTHERN COMPANY.
Hydro Leader: Please tell us about your background and how you came to be in your current position.
hydropower right out of college in 1994. My first job was as a hydrologist, and I worked in the plants and helped support upgrades. I worked my way up to be the general manager of all the Southern Company hydro facilities.
