By Alabama Public Radio
FL and NC – Southern Company has announced that it will spend about 405 million dollars to buy two electric generating plants. The deal would include the DeSoto County Energy Complex located in Arcadia, Florida -- about 40 miles southeast of Sarasota. It consists of two 160-megawatt combustion turbine generating units, primarily fueled by natural gas. The Rowan County Energy Complex is located in Salisbury, North Carolina, approximately 50 miles northeast of Charlotte. It consists of three simple-cycle, natural gas-fueled generating units and a combined-cycle unit totaling 925 megawatts of generating capacity. The plants are being sold by North Carolina based Progress Energy. Southern Company also owns Alabama Power, Georgia Power, Gulf Power, Mississippi Power and Savannah Electric.