Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P.
St. Louis, Missouri 63131
We have represented the Underwriter (hereinafter defined) in connection with (i) the issuance and sale by Georgia Power Company (the “Company”) of $250,000,000 aggregate principal amount of its Series 2007E 6.00% Senior Insured Monthly Notes due September 1, 2040 (the “Notes”) pursuant to a Senior Note Indenture dated as of January 1, 1998, by and between the Company and The Bank of New York (as successor to JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (formerly known as The Chase Manhattan Bank)), as trustee (the “Trustee”), as heretofore supplemented and as further supplemented by the Thirty-Second Supplemental Indenture, dated as of August 30, 2007 (collectively, the “Indenture”); and (ii) the purchase by the Underwriter of the Notes pursuant to the terms of an Underwriting Agreement dated August 24, 2007 (the “Underwriting Agreement”), between the Company and you, as the Underwriter (the “Underwriter”). This opinion is being delivered to the Underwriter pursuant to Section 6(c)(3) thereof.
All capitalized terms not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Underwriting Agreement.
In rendering the opinions expressed below, we have examined the registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-140954) pertaining to the Notes and certain other securities filed by the Company under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), as it became effective under the Act (the “Registration Statement”); the Company’s prospectus dated February 28, 2007 (the “Basic Prospectus”) as supplemented by a preliminary prospectus supplement dated August 23, 2007 (the “Pricing Prospectus”), filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Act, which, pursuant to Form S-3, incorporates by reference the Annual Report on Form 10-K of the Company for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006, the Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q of the Company for the quarters ended March 31, 2007 and June 30, 2007
and the Current Reports on Form 8-K of the Company dated March 6, 2007, June 4, 2007, June 18, 2007, June 29, 2007, July 9, 2007 July 10, 2007 and August 23, 2007 (the “Pricing Exchange Act Documents”), and a prospectus supplement dated August 24, 2007 (together with the Basic Prospectus, the “Final Supplemented Prospectus”), filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the rules and regulations of the Commission under the Act, which, pursuant to Form S-3, incorporates by reference the Pricing Exchange Act Documents and the Current Reports on Form 8-K of the Company dated August 24, 2007 and August 24, 2007 (the “Exchange Act Documents”), each as filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”); and the Indenture. We have also examined the free writing prospectus prepared by the Company and filed with the Commission on August 24, 2007 pursuant to Rule 433 of the Act (the “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus”). The documents listed in Schedule II to the Underwriting Agreement, taken together, are collectively referred to as the “Pricing Disclosure Package.”
In addition, we have examined, and have relied as to matters of fact upon, the documents delivered to you at the closing (except the certificate representing the Notes, of which we have examined a specimen), and we have made such other and further investigations as we deemed necessary to express the opinions hereinafter set forth. In such examination, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the legal capacity of natural persons, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to us as certified or photostatic copies and the authenticity of the originals of such latter documents.
The Indenture and the Underwriting Agreement are herein referred to as the “Agreements.”
Based upon the foregoing, and subject to the qualifications and limitations stated herein, we are of the opinion, relying as aforesaid and as to all matters covered hereby which are governed by or dependent upon the law of the State of Georgia upon the opinion of Troutman Sanders LLP dated the date hereof and addressed to you, that:
1. The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Georgia and has due corporate authority to carry on the public utility business in which it is engaged, to own and operate the properties used by it in such business and to enter into and perform its obligations under the Agreements and the Notes.
2. The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of the Underwriting Agreement have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action, and the Underwriting Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Company.
3. All orders, consents or other authorizations or approvals of the Georgia Public Service Commission and the Commission legally required for the issuance and sale of the Notes have been obtained; such orders are sufficient for the issuance and sale of the Notes; the issuance and sale of the Notes conform in all material respects with the terms of such orders; and no other order, consent or other authorization
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or approval of any Georgia or United States governmental body (other than in connection or in compliance with the provisions of the securities or “blue sky” laws of any jurisdiction, as to which we express no opinion) is legally required for the issuance and sale of the Notes in accordance with the terms of the Underwriting Agreement.
4. The Indenture has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and, assuming the due authorization, execution and delivery thereof by the Trustee, constitutes a valid and legally binding instrument of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, subject to the qualifications that the enforceability of the Company's obligations under the Indenture may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other similar laws relating to or affecting creditors' rights generally and by general principles of equity (regardless of whether such enforceability is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law); and the Indenture conforms as to legal matters in all material respects to the description thereof in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Supplemented Prospectus.
5. The Notes have been duly authorized and executed by the Company and, when authenticated by the Trustee in the manner provided in the Indenture and delivered to and paid for by the Underwriter pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement, will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, subject to the qualifications that the enforceability of the Company's obligations under the Notes may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other similar laws relating to or affecting creditors' rights generally and by general principles of equity (regardless of whether such enforceability is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law); and the Notes conform as to legal matters in all material respects to the description thereof in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Supplemented Prospectus.
6. The Indenture has been duly qualified under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended.
We have not independently verified the accuracy, completeness or fairness of the statements made or included in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Final Supplemented Prospectus or the Exchange Act Documents and take no responsibility therefor, except as and to the extent set forth in paragraphs 4 and 5 above. In the course of the preparation by the Company of the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Final Supplemented Prospectus and the Exchange Act Documents, we participated in conferences with certain officers and employees of the Company, with representatives of Deloitte & Touche LLP and with counsel to the Company. Based upon our examination of the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Final Supplemented Prospectus and the Exchange Act Documents, our investigations made in connection with the preparation of the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Supplemented Prospectus and our participation in the conferences referred to above, (i) we are of the opinion that the Registration Statement, on the Effective Date and the Final Supplemented Prospectus, as of August 24, 2007, complied as to form in all material respects with the relevant requirements of the Act and the applicable rules and
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regulations of the Commission thereunder and that the Exchange Act Documents, as of their respective dates of filing with the Commission, complied as to form in all material respects with the relevant requirements of the Exchange Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, except that in each case we express no opinion as to the financial statements or other financial or statistical data contained or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Final Supplemented Prospectus or the Exchange Act Documents, and (ii) nothing came to our attention which gives us reason to believe that the Registration Statement, on the Effective Date (including the Exchange Act Documents on file with the Commission as of such date), contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading, that the Pricing Disclosure Package, as of the Applicable Time, included an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, or that the Final Supplemented Prospectus (including the Exchange Act Documents) contained, as of its date, or contains, on the date hereof, any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted, as of its date, or omits, on the date hereof, to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, except that in each case we express no opinion or belief with respect to the financial statements or other financial or statistical data contained or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Final Supplemented Prospectus or the Exchange Act Documents and with respect to information set forth in the Pricing Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus under the caption “Description of the Series 2007E Senior Notes - Book-Entry-Only Issuance - The Depository Trust Company” or “The Policy and the Insurer” (except for the information under the caption “The Policy”).
We are members of the State Bar of New York and we do not express any opinion herein concerning any law other than the law of the State of New York and the federal law of the United States and, to the extent set forth herein, the law of the State of Georgia.
This opinion is rendered solely to you in connection with the above matter. This opinion may not be relied upon by you for any other purpose or relied upon by or furnished to any other person without our prior written consent except that Troutman Sanders LLP may rely on this opinion in giving its opinions pursuant to Section 6 of the Underwriting Agreement and to Sections 102, 302 and 904 of the Indenture, insofar as such opinions relate to matters of New York law.
Very truly yours,
DEWEY BALLANTINE LLP
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Schedule VI
[Letterhead of Ambac Assurance Corporation]
____, 2007
Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P.
12555 Manchester Road
St. Louis, Missouri 63131
Georgia Power Company
241 Ralph McGill Boulevard, N.E.
Atlanta, Georgia 30308-3374
The Bank of New York
101 Barclay Street, Floor 8W
New York, New York 10286
GEORGIA POWER COMPANY
Series 2007E 6.00% Senior Insured Monthly Notes
due September 1, 2040
Ladies and Gentlemen:
This opinion has been requested of the undersigned, a Vice President and an Assistant General Counsel of Ambac Assurance Corporation, a Wisconsin stock insurance company (“Ambac Assurance”), in connection with the issuance by Ambac Assurance of a certain Financial Guaranty Insurance Policy, effective as of the date hereof (the “Policy”), insuring $250,000,000 in aggregate principal amount of the Georgia Power Company (the “Issuer”) Series 2007E 6.00% Senior Insured Monthly Notes due September 1, 2040 (the “Obligations”).
In connection with my opinion herein, I have examined the Policy, such statutes, documents and proceedings as I have considered necessary or appropriate under the circumstances to render the following opinion, including, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, certain statements contained in the Prospectus of Georgia Power Company dated February 28, 2007, as supplemented by a Preliminary Prospectus Supplement dated August 23, 2007 and Prospectus Supplement dated August 24, 2007 relating to the Obligations (the Preliminary Prospectus Supplement, the Prospectus Supplement and the Prospectus are referred to herein as, the “Prospectus Supplement”) under the headings “The Policy and the Insurer” and “Appendix A--Form of Policy”.
Based upon the foregoing and having regard to legal considerations I deem relevant, I am of the opinion that:
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1. Ambac Assurance is a stock insurance corporation duly organized and validly existing under the laws of the State of Wisconsin and duly qualified to conduct an insurance business in the State of Georgia.
2. Ambac Assurance has full corporate power and authority to execute and deliver the Policy and the Policy has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by Ambac Assurance and constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation of Ambac Assurance enforceable in accordance with its terms except to the extent that the enforceability (but not the validity) of such obligation may be limited by any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, liquidation, rehabilitation or other similar law or enactment now or hereafter enacted affecting the enforcement of creditors’ rights.
3. The execution and delivery by Ambac Assurance of the Policy will not, and the consummation of the transactions contemplated thereby and the satisfaction of the terms thereof will not, conflict with or result in a breach of any of the terms, conditions or provisions of the Certificate of Authority, Articles of Incorporation or By-Laws of Ambac Assurance, or any restriction contained in any contract, agreement or instrument to which Ambac Assurance is party or by which it is bound or constitute a default under any of the foregoing.
4. Proceedings legally required for the issuance of the Policy have been taken by Ambac Assurance and licenses, orders, consents or other authorizations or approvals of any governmental boards or bodies legally required for the enforceability of the Policy have been obtained; any proceedings not taken and any licenses, authorizations or approvals not obtained are not material to the enforceability of the Policy.
5. The statements contained in the Prospectus Supplement under the heading “The Policy and the Insurer”, insofar as such statements constitute summaries of the matters referred to therein, accurately reflect and fairly present the information purported to be shown and, insofar as such statements describe Ambac Assurance, fairly and accurately describe Ambac Assurance. The form of Policy contained in the Prospectus Supplement under the heading “Appendix A -- Form of Policy” is a true and complete copy of the form of Policy.
Very truly yours,
Vice President and Assistant General Counsel
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