The company is based in
Columbus, Ohio. ATLANTA, Southern Company said today it
is increasing its annual dividend rate by 6 cents, or 4 percent, to $1. Southern Company owns electric utilities in four states, a
growing competitive generation company and a competitive retail natural gas
business , as well as fiber optics and wireless communications.

tangled monopoly

Although AEP and each of its registrant subsidiaries
believe that their expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, any such
statements may be influenced by factors that could cause actual outcomes and
results to be materially different from those projected.
Chairman, President and CEO David M.

regulation capita

Business Editors/Energy Editors

KANSAS CITY, Mo.----Great Plains
Energy (NYSE:GXP) has named Terry Bassham as Executive Vice President
and Chief Financial Officer.com . Forward-looking information includes, among other things ,
statements concerning dividends, results of operations and Southern Company's
strategies.

mwhodges deregulation

The sale also includes a power
purchase agreement under which Allegheny will provide AEP 100 percent of its
power requirements to serve the retail load in this area through May 31, 2007. The
Company 's Web site is www. Ratcliffe said the dividend
represents a key part of the total return Southern Company offers its
shareholders. Visit the Southern Company Web site
at http://www. Southern Company and its subsidiaries expressly
disclaim any obligation to update any forward-looking information .

taxpayers approaching

southerncompany. 31, 2004, and
subsequent securities filings, could cause results to differ materially from
management expectations as suggested by such forward-looking information: the
impact of recent and future federal and state regulatory change, including
legislative and regulatory initiatives regarding deregulation and
restructuring of the electric utility industry, and also changes in
environmental , tax and other laws and regulations to which Southern Company
and its subsidiaries are subject, as well as changes in application of
existing laws and regulations; current and future litigation, regulatory
investigations, proceedings or inquiries, including the pending EPA civil
actions against certain Southern Company subsidiaries, IRS audits and Mirant-
related matters; the effects, extent and timing of the entry of additional
competition in the markets in which Southern Company's subsidiaries operate;
variations in demand for electricity and gas, including those relating to
weather, the general economy and population and business growth (and
declines); available sources and costs of fuels; ability to control costs;
investment performance of Southern Company's employee benefit plans; advances
in technology; state and federal rate regulations and the impact of pending
and future rate cases and negotiations; the performance of projects undertaken
by the non-utility businesses and the success of efforts to invest in and
develop new opportunities; internal restructuring or other restructuring
options that may be pursued; potential business strategies, including
acquisitions or dispositions of assets or businesses, which cannot be assured
to be completed or beneficial to Southern Company or its subsidiaries; the
ability of counterparties of Southern Company and its subsidiaries to make
payments as and when due; the ability to obtain new short- and long-term
contracts with neighboring utilities; the direct or indirect effect on
Southern Company's business resulting from terrorist incidents and the threat
of terrorist incidents; interest rate fluctuations and financial market
conditions and the results of financing efforts, including Southern Company's
and its subsidiaries ' credit ratings; the ability of Southern Company and its
subsidiaries to obtain additional generating capacity at competitive prices;
catastrophic events such as fires, earthquakes, floods, hurricanes or other
similar occurrences; the direct or indirect effects on Southern Company's
business resulting from incidents similar to the August 2003 power outage in
the Northeast; and the effect of accounting pronouncements issued periodically
by standard-setting bodies.

grandfather capita

Bassham joins Great Plains Energy from El Paso Electric, where he
is Executive Vice President, Chief Financial and Administrative
Officer , with responsibility for several departments, including
Customer and Public Affairs, Treasurer, Controller , and Information
Technology.com

CERTAIN FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION -- Statements made in this
release that are not based on historical facts are forward-looking,
may involve risks and uncertainties, and are intended to be as of the
date when made.

868 regulated

Great Plains Energy Incorporated (NYSE:GXP), headquartered in
Kansas City, Mo.S.

ideological approaching

); AEP's ability to constrain its
operation and maintenance costs; AEP's ability to sell assets at acceptable
prices and on other acceptable terms , including rights to share in earnings
derived from the assets subsequent to their sale; the economic climate and
growth in AEP's service territory and changes in market demand and demographic
patterns; inflationary trends; AEP's ability to develop and execute a strategy
based on a view regarding prices of electricity, natural gas, and other
energy-related commodities; changes in the creditworthiness and number of
participants in the energy trading market; changes in the financial markets,
particularly those affecting the availability of capital and AEP's ability to
refinance existing debt at attractive rates; actions of rating agencies,
including changes in the ratings of debt; volatility and changes in markets
for electricity, natural gas, and other energy-related commodities; changes in
utility regulation, including membership and integration into regional
transmission structures; accounting pronouncements periodically issued by
accounting standard-setting bodies; the performance of AEP 's pension and other
postretirement benefit plans; prices for power that AEP generates and sells at
wholesale; changes in technology and other risks and unforeseen events,
including wars, the effects of terrorism (including increased security costs),
embargoes and other catastrophic events. Effective March 28, Bassham will succeed
Andrea Bielsker, who plans to leave the company. In connection with the safe harbor provisions of the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, the Company is
providing a number of important factors that could cause actual
results to differ materially from the provided forward-looking
information.

grandfather interventionism

COLUMBUS, Ohio, American Electric Power
(NYSE: AEP ), through its Columbus Southern Power (CSP) utility subsidiary,
completed the purchase of Monongahela Power Company's Ohio operations Dec.

106th capita

Through the purchase, AEP acquired 29,000 Monongahela Power customers in
six southeastern Ohio counties and all transmission and distribution assets
located in Ohio serving those customers. AEP
Ohio is based in Gahanna, Ohio, and is a unit of American Electric Power.

Southern Company Raising Annual Dividend to $1.49 Per Share; Rate Increased for Fourth Consecutive Year

Forward Looking Statements Note:
Certain information contained in this release is forward-looking
information based on current expectations and plans that involve risks and
uncertainties .

approaching capita

American Electric Power owns more than 36,000 megawatts of generating
capacity in the United States and is the nation's largest electricity
generator.
"We are excited to have Terry joining the company.newscom.

capita monopoly

Among the factors
that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the
forward-looking statements are: electric load and customer growth; weather
conditions , including storms; available sources and costs of, and
transportation for, fuels and the creditworthiness of fuel suppliers and
transporters; availability of generating capacity and the performance of AEP 's
generating plants; the ability to recover regulatory assets and stranded costs
in connection with deregulation; the ability to recover increases in fuel and
other energy costs through regulated or competitive electric rates; new
legislation, litigation and government regulation including requirements for
reduced emissions of sulfur, nitrogen, mercury, carbon and other substances;
timing and resolution of pending and future rate cases, negotiations and other
regulatory decisions (including rate or other recovery for new investments,
transmission service and environmental compliance); oversight and/or
investigation of the energy sector or its participants; resolution of
litigation (including pending Clean Air Act enforcement actions and disputes
arising from the bankruptcy of Enron Corp .
With more than 4 million customers and nearly 39,000 megawatts of
generating capacity, Atlanta -based Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is the premier
super-regional energy company in the Southeast and a leading U. Southern Company has
more than 500,000 shareholders, making its common stock one of the most widely
held in the United States.
The following factors, in addition to those discussed in Southern
Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec.

beware deregulating

The reader is cautioned not to put undue reliance on
this forward-looking information, which is not a guarantee of future
performance and is subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors,
many of which are outside the control of Southern Company; accordingly, there
can be no assurance that such suggested results will be realized.

regulated monopoly

Monongahela Power is a subsidiary of Allegheny Energy (NYSE: AYE).

106th antitrust

4 million customers of major AEP
subsidiaries Columbus Southern Power Company and Ohio Power Company in Ohio,
and Wheeling Power Company in the northern panhandle of West Virginia.

restructuring 106th

This report made by AEP and certain of its subsidiaries contains forward-
looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934. This is the fourth
consecutive year that Southern Company has raised its dividend, and the
current quarter is the 230th consecutive quarter - dating back to 1948 - that
the company will have paid a dividend on the company's common stock to its
shareholders .

oligopoly hurts

antitrust taxpayers

AEP Completes Purchase of Monongahela Power's Ohio Assets From Allegheny Energy

The purchase price was approximately $46 million, subject to post-closing
adjustments.
AEP Ohio provides electricity to 1.
"Our goal is to provide investors with good value for low risk.

deregulating oligopoly

AEP is also one of the largest electric utilities in the United
States, with more than 5 million customers linked to AEP's 11-state
electricity transmission and distribution grid. We believe that
his financial and regulatory experience will be very valuable as we
implement our strategic intent," said Michael Chesser, Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer. These important factors include: future economic
conditions in the regional, national and international markets,
including but not limited to regional and national wholesale
electricity markets; market perception of the energy industry and the
Company; changes in business strategy, operations or development
plans; effects of current or proposed state and federal legislative
and regulatory actions or developments, including, but not limited to,
deregulation , re-regulation and restructuring of the electric utility
industry and constraints placed on the Company 's actions by the Public
Utility Holding Company Act of 1935; adverse changes in applicable
laws , regulations, rules, principles or practices governing tax,
accounting and environmental matters including, but not limited to,
air quality; financial market conditions and performance including ,
but not limited to, changes in interest rates and in availability and
cost of capital and the effects on the Company's pension plan assets
and costs; ability to maintain current credit ratings; inflation
rates; effectiveness of risk management policies and procedures and
the ability of counterparties to satisfy their contractual
commitments; impact of terrorist acts; increased competition
including , but not limited to, retail choice in the electric utility
industry and the entry of new competitors; ability to carry out
marketing and sales plans; weather conditions including
weather-related damage; cost, availability and deliverability of fuel;
ability to achieve generation planning goals and the occurrence of
unplanned generation outages; delays in the anticipated in-service
dates of additional generating capacity; nuclear operations; ability
to enter new markets successfully and capitalize on growth
opportunities in non-regulated businesses; performance of projects
undertaken by the Company's non-regulated businesses and the success
of efforts to invest in and develop new opportunities; and other risks
and uncertainties.49 per
share.

capita grandfather

greatplainsenergy. Southern
Company brands are known for excellent customer service, high reliability and
retail electric prices that are 15 percent below the national average.

approaching budgetary

com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020207/SOCOLOGO )
The quarterly dividend, payable June 6 to shareholders of record May 2,
will increase 1-1/2 cents to 37-1/4 cents per share.

budgetary antitrust

This
action is consistent with our objective of delivering long-term earnings
growth of approximately 5 percent a year," Ratcliffe said.
Southern Company has been ranked the nation's top energy utility in the
American Customer Satisfaction Index five years in a row.

868 antitrust

, is the holding company for Kansas City Power + Light
Company, a leading regulated provider of electricity in the Midwest;
and Strategic Energy LLC, a competitive electricity supplier.

(Logo: http://www. Southern Company cautions that there are certain factors that can
cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking information
that has been provided.

deregulation stossel

31. This list of factors is not all-inclusive because
it is not possible to predict all factors.

interventionism hurts

In addition, CSP will pay Allegheny $10 million associated with
the termination of certain litigation.

Great Plains Energy Hires Bassham as New Chief Financial Officer

Bassham has held several positions since joining El Paso
Electric in 1996 and has strong regulatory experience. producer of
electricity.