Exhibit 1
$100,000,000 Series Q 4.90% Senior Notes
due September 15, 2013
GEORGIA POWER COMPANY
UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
September 8, 2003
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
390 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10013
As Representative of the Several Underwriters
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Georgia Power Company, a Georgia corporation (the "Company"),
confirms its agreement (the "Agreement") with you and each of the other
Underwriters named in Schedule I hereto (collectively, the "Underwriters", which
term shall also include any underwriter substituted as hereinafter provided in
Section 10 hereof) for whom you are acting as representative (in such capacity
you shall hereinafter be referred to as the "Representative"), with respect to
the sale by the Company and the purchase by the Underwriters, acting severally
and not jointly, of $100,000,000 aggregate principal amount of the Series Q
4.90% Senior Notes due September 15, 2013 (the "Senior Notes") as set forth in
Schedule I hereto.
The Company understands that the Underwriters propose to make
a public offering of the Senior Notes as soon as the Representative deems
advisable after this Agreement has been executed and delivered. The Senior Notes
will be issued pursuant to an indenture, dated as of January 1, 1998 (the "Base
Indenture"), by and between the Company and JPMorgan Chase Bank (formerly known
as The Chase Manhattan Bank), as trustee (the "Trustee"), as heretofore
supplemented and amended and as to be further supplemented and amended by a
seventeenth supplemental indenture, dated as of September 16, 2003, to the Base
Indenture relating to the Senior Notes (the "Supplemental Indenture" and,
together with the Base Indenture and any other amendments or supplements
thereto, the "Indenture"), between the Company and the Trustee.
SECTION 1. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES. The Company represents and
warrants to the Underwriters as follows:
(a) A registration statement on Form S-3 (File Nos. 333-105815,
333-105815-01, 333-105815-02, 333-105815-03 and 333-105815-04) in respect of the
Senior Notes and certain other securities has been prepared and filed in
accordance with the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
"1933 Act"), with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission");
such registration statement, as amended, and any post-effective amendment
thereto, each in the form heretofore delivered or to be delivered to the
Underwriters, has been declared effective by the Commission in such form (except
that copies of the registration statement, as amended, and any post-effective
amendment delivered to the Underwriters need not include exhibits but shall
include all documents incorporated by reference therein); and no stop order
suspending the effectiveness of such registration statement has been issued and
no proceeding for that purpose has been initiated or, to the best knowledge of
the Company, threatened by the Commission (any preliminary prospectus, included
in such registration statement or filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule
424(a) of the rules and regulations of the Commission under the 1933 Act, being
hereinafter called a "Preliminary Prospectus"); such registration statement, as
it became effective, including the exhibits thereto and all documents
incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 at the time
such registration statement became effective, being hereinafter called the
"Registration Statement"; the prospectus relating to the Senior Notes, in the
form in which it was included in the Registration Statement at the time it
became effective, being hereinafter called the "Prospectus"; any reference
herein to any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer
to and include the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item
12 of Form S-3 under the 1933 Act, as of the date of such Preliminary Prospectus
or Prospectus, as the case may be; any reference to any amendment or supplement
to any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and
include any documents filed after the date of such Preliminary Prospectus or
Prospectus, as the case may be, under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended (the "1934 Act"), and incorporated by reference in such Preliminary
Prospectus or Prospectus, as the case may be; any reference to any amendment to
the Registration Statement shall be deemed to refer to and include any annual
report of the Company filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the 1934 Act
after the effective date of the Registration Statement that is incorporated by
reference in the Registration Statement; the Prospectus as amended or
supplemented in final form by a prospectus supplement relating to the Senior
Notes in the form in which it is filed with the Commission, pursuant to Rule
424(b) under the 1933 Act in accordance with Section 3(e) hereof, including any
documents incorporated by reference therein as of the date of such filing, being
hereinafter called the "Final Supplemented Prospectus".
(b) The documents incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement
or Prospectus, when they were filed with the Commission, complied in all
material respects with the applicable provisions of the 1934 Act and the rules
and regulations of the Commission thereunder, and as of such time of filing,
when read together with the Prospectus, none of such documents contained an
untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required
to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light
of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and any further
documents so filed and incorporated by reference in the Prospectus or any
further amendment or supplement thereto, when such documents are filed with the
Commission, will comply in all material respects with the applicable provisions
of the 1934 Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and,
when read together with the Prospectus as it otherwise may be amended or
supplemented, will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to
state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the
statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were
made, not misleading, except that the Company makes no warranty or
representation to the Underwriters with respect to: (A) any statements or
omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in
writing to the Company by the Underwriters through the Representative expressly
for use in the Final Supplemented Prospectus; or (B) any information set forth
in the Final Supplemented Prospectus under the caption "Description of the
Series Q Senior Notes -- Book-Entry Only Issuance -- The Depository Trust
Company".
(c) The Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the Final Supplemented
Prospectus comply, and any further amendments or supplements to the Registration
Statement or the Prospectus, when any such post-effective amendments are
declared effective or supplements are filed with the Commission, as the case may
be, will comply, in all material respects with the applicable provisions of the
1933 Act, the 1934 Act, the 1939 Act (hereinafter defined) and the General Rules
and Regulations of the Commission thereunder and do not and will not, (i) as of
the applicable effective date as to the Registration Statement and any amendment
thereto and (ii) as of the date of the Final Supplemented Prospectus and any
Prospectus as further amended or supplemented, contain an untrue statement of a
material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the
statements therein not misleading in the case of the Registration Statement and
any amendment thereto, and, in the light of the circumstances under which they
were made, not misleading in the case of the Final Supplemented Prospectus and
any Prospectus as further amended or supplemented; except that the Company makes
no warranties or representations with respect to: (A) that part of the
Registration Statement which shall constitute the Statements of Eligibility
(Form T-1) under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the "1939 Act");
(B) statements or omissions made in the Registration Statement or the Final
Supplemented Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with information
furnished in writing to the Company by the Underwriters through the
Representative expressly for use therein; or (C) any information set forth in
the Final Supplemented Prospectus under the caption "Description of the Series Q
Senior Notes -- Book-Entry Only Issuance -- The Depository Trust Company".
(d) With respect to the Registration Statement, the conditions for use of
Form S-3, as set forth in the General Instructions thereof, have been satisfied.
(e) Since the respective dates as of which information is given in the
Registration Statement and the Final Supplemented Prospectus, except as
otherwise stated therein, there has been no material adverse change in the
business, properties or financial condition of the Company.
(f) The Company is a corporation duly organized and existing 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 and to own and operate the properties
used by it in such business, to enter into and perform its obligations under
this Agreement and the Indenture and to issue and sell the Senior Notes to the
Underwriters.
(g) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the
Company.
(h) The Indenture has been duly authorized by the Company and, on the
Closing Date, will have been duly executed and delivered by the Company, and,
assuming due authorization, execution and delivery of the Indenture by the
Trustee, the Indenture will, on the Closing Date, constitute a valid and binding
obligation of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with
its terms except to the extent that enforcement thereof may be limited by (1)
bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, receivership, liquidation, fraudulent
conveyance, moratorium or other similar laws affecting creditors' rights
generally or (2) general principles of equity (regardless of whether enforcement
is considered in a proceeding at law or in equity) (the "Enforceability
Exceptions"); the Indenture will conform in all material respects to all
statements relating thereto contained in the Final Supplemented Prospectus; and,
on the Closing Date, the Indenture will have been duly qualified under the 1939
Act.
(i) The issuance and delivery of the Senior Notes have been duly authorized
by the Company and, on the Closing Date, the Senior Notes will have been duly
executed by the Company and, when authenticated in the manner provided for in
the Indenture and delivered against payment therefor as described in the Final
Supplemented Prospectus, will constitute valid and legally binding obligations
of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms,
except to the extent that enforcement thereof may be limited by the
Enforceability Exceptions, will be in the form contemplated by, and entitled to
the benefits of, the Indenture and will conform in all material respects to all
statements relating thereto in the Final Supplemented Prospectus.
(j) The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this
Agreement, the Indenture and the Senior Notes and the consummation by the
Company of the transactions contemplated herein and therein and compliance by
the Company with its obligations hereunder and thereunder shall have been duly
authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of the Company and do
not and will not result in any violation of the charter or bylaws of the
Company, and do not and will not conflict with, or result in a breach of any of
the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, or result in the
creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or
assets of the Company under (A) any contract, indenture, mortgage, loan
agreement, note, lease or other agreement or instrument to which the Company is
a party or by which it may be bound or to which any of its properties may be
subject (except for conflicts, breaches or defaults which would not,
individually or in the aggregate, be materially adverse to the Company or
materially adverse to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement), or (B)
any existing applicable law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree of any
government, governmental instrumentality or court, domestic or foreign, or any
regulatory body or administrative agency or other governmental body having
jurisdiction over the Company, or any of its properties.
(k) No authorization, approval, consent or order of any court or
governmental authority or agency is necessary in connection with the issuance
and sale by the Company of the Senior Notes or the transactions by the Company
contemplated in this Agreement, except (A) such as may be required under the
1933 Act or the rules and regulations thereunder; (B) such as may be required
under the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935, as amended; (C) the
qualification of the Indenture under the 1939 Act; (D) the approval of the
Georgia Public Service Commission (the "Georgia Commission"); and (E) such
consents, approvals, authorizations, registrations or qualifications as may be
required under state securities or "blue sky" laws.
(l) The financial statements incorporated by reference in the Registration
Statement and the Final Supplemented Prospectus, together with the related
schedules and notes, present fairly, in all material respects, the financial
position, results of operations and cash flows of the Company as of and for the
dates indicated; said financial statements have been prepared in conformity with
accounting principles generally accepted in the United States ("GAAP") applied
on a consistent basis (except that the unaudited financial statements may be
subject to normal year-end adjustments) throughout the periods involved and
necessarily include amounts that are based on the best estimates and judgments
of management. The selected financial data and the summary financial information
included in the Registration Statement and the Final Supplemented Prospectus
present fairly the information shown therein and have been compiled on a basis
consistent with that of the audited and unaudited financial statements
incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement.
SECTION 2. SALE AND DELIVERY TO THE UNDERWRITERS; CLOSING.
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(a) On the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained and
subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company agrees to sell
to each Underwriter, and each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, agrees to
purchase from the Company, the principal amount of Senior Notes set forth in
Schedule I to this Agreement opposite the name of such Underwriter (plus any
additional amount of Senior Notes that such Underwriter may become obligated to
purchase pursuant to the provisions of Section 10 hereof), at a price equal to
99.061% of the principal amount thereof.
(b) Payment of the purchase price and delivery of certificates for the
Senior Notes shall be made at the offices of Troutman Sanders LLP, Bank of
America Plaza, 600 Peachtree Street, N.E., Atlanta, Georgia at 10:00 A.M., New
York time, on September 16, 2003 (unless postponed in accordance with the
provisions of Section 10) or such other time, place or date as shall be agreed
upon by the Representative and the Company (such time and date of payment and
delivery being herein called the "Closing Date"). Payment shall be made to the
Company by wire transfer in federal funds at the Closing Date against delivery
of the Senior Notes to the Representative. It is understood that each
Underwriter has authorized the Representative, for each Underwriter's account,
to accept delivery of, receipt for, and make payment of the principal amount of
the Senior Notes which each Underwriter has agreed to purchase. The
Representative, individually and not as a representative of the Underwriters,
may (but shall not be obligated to) make payment of the principal amount of the
Senior Notes to be purchased by any Underwriter whose payment has not been
received by the Closing Date, but such payment shall not relieve such
Underwriter from its obligations hereunder.
The delivery of the Senior Notes shall be made in fully
registered form, registered in the name of CEDE & CO., to the offices of The
Depository Trust Company in New York, New York or its designee, and the
Underwriters shall accept such delivery.
The certificate(s) for the Senior Notes will be made available
for examination by the Representative not later than 12:00 Noon, New York time,
on the last business day prior to the Closing Date.
SECTION 3. COVENANTS OF THE COMPANY. The Company covenants with the
Underwriters as follows:
(a) The Company, on or prior to the Closing Date, will deliver to the
Underwriters conformed copies of the Registration Statement as originally filed
and of all amendments thereto, heretofore or hereafter made, including any
post-effective amendment (in each case including all exhibits filed therewith,
and including unsigned copies of each consent and certificate included therein
or filed as an exhibit thereto, except exhibits incorporated by reference,
unless specifically requested). As soon as the Company is advised thereof, it
will advise the Representative orally of the issuance of any stop order under
the 1933 Act with respect to the Registration Statement, or the institution of
any proceedings therefor, of which the Company shall have received notice, and
will use its best efforts to prevent the issuance of any such stop order and to
secure the prompt removal thereof, if issued. The Company will deliver to the
Representative sufficient conformed copies of the Registration Statement, the
Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus and of all supplements and
amendments thereto (in each case without exhibits) for distribution to the
Underwriters and, from time to time, as many copies of the Prospectus and the
Final Supplemented Prospectus as the Underwriters may reasonably request for the
purposes contemplated by the 1933 Act or the 1934 Act.
(b) The Company will furnish the Underwriters with copies of each amendment
and supplement to the Final Supplemented Prospectus relating to the offering of
the Senior Notes in such quantities as the Underwriters may from time to time
reasonably request. If, during the period (not exceeding nine months) when the
delivery of a prospectus shall be required by law in connection with the sale of
any Senior Notes by an Underwriter, any event relating to or affecting the
Company, or of which the Company shall be advised in writing by the
Underwriters, shall occur, which in the opinion of the Company or of
Underwriters' counsel should be set forth in a supplement to or an amendment of
the Final Supplemented Prospectus in order to make the Final Supplemented
Prospectus not misleading in the light of the circumstances when it is
delivered, or if for any other reason it shall be necessary during such period
to amend or supplement the Final Supplemented Prospectus or to file under the
1934 Act any document incorporated by reference in the Preliminary Prospectus or
the Prospectus in order to comply with the 1933 Act or the 1934 Act, the Company
forthwith will (i) notify the Underwriters to suspend solicitation of purchases
of the Senior Notes and (ii) at its expense, make any such filing or prepare and
furnish to the Underwriters a reasonable number of copies of a supplement or
supplements or an amendment or amendments to the Final Supplemented Prospectus
which will supplement or amend the Final Supplemented Prospectus so that, as
supplemented or amended, it will not contain any untrue statement of a material
fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the
statements therein, in the light of the circumstances when the Final
Supplemented Prospectus is delivered, not misleading or which will effect any
other necessary compliance. In case any Underwriter is required to deliver a
prospectus in connection with the sale of any Senior Notes after the expiration
of the period specified in the preceding sentence, the Company, upon the request
of such Underwriter, will furnish to such Underwriter, at the expense of such
Underwriter, a reasonable quantity of a supplemented or amended prospectus, or
supplements or amendments to the Final Supplemented Prospectus, complying with
Section 10(a) of the 1933 Act. During the period specified in the second
sentence of this subsection, the Company will continue to prepare and file with
the Commission on a timely basis all documents or amendments required under the
1934 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder; provided, that the Company
shall not file such documents or amendments without also furnishing copies
thereof prior to such filing to the Representative and Dewey Ballantine LLP.
(c) The Company will endeavor, in cooperation with the Underwriters, to
qualify the Senior Notes for offering and sale under the applicable securities
laws of such states and the other jurisdictions of the United States as the
Representative may designate; provided, however, that the Company shall not be
obligated to qualify as a foreign corporation in any jurisdiction in which it is
not so qualified or to file a consent to service of process or to file annual
reports or to comply with any other requirements in connection with such
qualification deemed by the Company to be unduly burdensome.
(d) The Company will make generally available to its security holders as
soon as practicable but not later than 45 days after the close of the period
covered thereby, an earnings statement of the Company (in form complying with
the provisions of Rule 158 of the rules and regulations under the 1933 Act)
covering a twelve-month period beginning not later than the first day of the
Company's fiscal quarter next following the "effective date" (as defined in Rule
158) of the Registration Statement.
(e) As soon as practicable after the date of this Agreement, and in any
event within the time prescribed by Rule 424 under the 1933 Act, to file the
Final Supplemented Prospectus with the Commission and to advise the
Representative of such filing and to confirm such advice in writing.
(f) During a period of 15 days from the date of this Agreement, the Company
will not, without the Representative's prior written consent, directly or
indirectly, sell, offer to sell, grant any option for the sale of, or otherwise
dispose of, any Senior Notes or any security convertible into or exchangeable
into or exercisable for the Senior Notes or any debt securities substantially
similar to the Senior Notes (except for the Senior Notes issued pursuant to this
Agreement). The Representative agrees that commercial paper or other debt
securities with scheduled maturities of less than one year are not subject to
this Section 3(f).
SECTION 4. PAYMENT OF EXPENSES. The Company will pay all expenses
incidental to the performance of its obligations under this Agreement, including
but not limited to, the expenses of (i) the printing and filing of the
Registration Statement as originally filed and of each amendment thereto, (ii)
the preparation, issuance and delivery of the certificate(s) for the Senior
Notes, (iii) the fees and disbursements of the Company's counsel and
accountants, (iv) the qualification of the Senior Notes under securities laws in
accordance with the provisions of Section 3(c) hereof, including filing fees and
the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in
connection therewith and in connection with the preparation of any blue sky
survey (such fees and disbursements of counsel shall not exceed $3,500), (v) the
printing and delivery to the Underwriters of copies of the Registration
Statement as originally filed and of each amendment thereto and of the
Prospectus, the Final Supplemented Prospectus and any amendments or supplements
thereto, (vi) the printing and delivery to the Underwriters of copies of any
blue sky survey, (vii) the fee of the National Association of Securities
Dealers, Inc. in connection with its review of the offering contemplated by this
Agreement, if applicable, (viii) the fees and expenses of the Trustee, including
the fees and disbursements of counsel for the Trustee in connection with the
Indenture and the Senior Notes, (ix) any fees payable in connection with the
rating of the Senior Notes, (x) the cost and charges of any transfer agent or
registrar and (xi) the cost of qualifying the Senior Notes with The Depository
Trust Company.
Except as otherwise provided in Section 9 hereof, the
Underwriters shall pay all other expenses incurred by them in connection with
their offering of the Senior Notes, including fees and disbursements of their
counsel, Dewey Ballantine LLP.
SECTION 5. CONDITIONS OF UNDERWRITERS' OBLIGATIONS. The obligations of the
Underwriters to purchase and pay for the Senior Notes are subject to the
following conditions:
(a) No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration
Statement shall be in effect on the Closing Date and no proceedings for that
purpose shall be pending before, or to the knowledge of the Company threatened
by, the Commission on such date. If filing of the Final Supplemented Prospectus,
or any supplement thereto, is required pursuant to Rule 424, the Final
Supplemented Prospectus and any such supplement, shall have been filed in the
manner and within the time period required by Rule 424.
(b) Any required orders of the Georgia Commission and the Commission
permitting the transactions contemplated hereby substantially in accordance with
the terms and conditions hereof shall be in full force and effect and shall
contain no provision unacceptable to the Underwriters or the Company (but all
provisions of such order or orders heretofore entered, copies of which have
heretofore been delivered to the Representative, are deemed acceptable to the
Underwriters and the Company and all provisions of such order or orders
hereafter entered shall be deemed acceptable to the Underwriters and the Company
unless within 24 hours after receiving a copy of any such order any party to
this Agreement shall give notice to the other parties to the effect that such
order contains an unacceptable provision).
(c) On the Closing Date, the Representative shall have received:
(1) The opinion, dated the Closing Date, of Troutman Sanders LLP,
counsel for the Company, substantially in the form attached hereto as
Schedule II.
(2) The opinion, dated the Closing Date, of Cravath, Swaine & Moore
LLP, counsel to the Trustee, substantially in the form attached hereto as
Schedule III.
(3) The opinion, dated the Closing Date, of Dewey Ballantine LLP,
counsel for the Underwriters, substantially in the form attached hereto as
Schedule IV.
(4) At the Closing Date, there shall not have been, since the date
hereof or since the respective dates as of which information is given in
the Registration Statement and the Final Supplemented Prospectus, any
material adverse change in the business, properties or financial condition
of the Company, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business,
and the Representative shall have received a certificate of the President
or any Vice President of the Company, and dated as of the Closing Date, to
the effect that (i) there has been no such material adverse change, (ii)
the representations and warranties in Section 1 hereof are true and correct
with the same force and effect as though expressly made at and as of the
Closing Date, (iii) the Company has complied with all agreements and
satisfied all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied on or
prior to the Closing Date, and (iv) no stop order suspending the
effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued and no
proceedings for that purpose have been initiated or, to the knowledge of
such Officer, threatened by the Commission.
(5) On the Closing Date, the Representative shall have received from
Deloitte & Touche LLP a letter dated the Closing Date to the effect that:
(A) they are independent public accountants with respect to the Company
within the meaning of the 1933 Act and the rules and regulations under the
1933 Act; (B) in their opinion, the financial statements audited by them
and incorporated by reference in the Final Supplemented Prospectus comply
as to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting
requirements of the 1934 Act and the rules and regulations under the 1934
Act; and (C) on the basis of certain limited procedures performed through a
specified date not more than five business days prior to the date of such
letter, namely (i) reading the minute books of the Company; (ii) performing
the procedures specified by the American Institute of Certified Public
Accountants for a review of interim financial information as described in
Statement on Auditing Standards No. 71, "Interim Financial Information",
and in Statement on Auditing Standards No. 100, "Interim Financial
Information", on the unaudited financial statements, if any, of the Company
incorporated by reference in the Final Supplemented Prospectus and of the
latest available unaudited financial statements of the Company, if any, for
any calendar quarter subsequent to the date of those incorporated in the
Final Supplemented Prospectus; and (iii) making inquiries of certain
officials of the Company who have responsibility for financial and
accounting matters regarding such unaudited financial statements or any
specified unaudited amounts derived therefrom (it being understood that the
foregoing procedures do not constitute an audit performed in accordance
with generally accepted auditing standards and they would not necessarily
reveal matters of significance with respect to the comments made in such
letter, and accordingly that Deloitte & Touche LLP make no representations
as to the sufficiency of such procedures for the Underwriters' purposes),
nothing came to their attention that caused them to believe that: (1) any
material modifications should be made to the unaudited condensed financial
statements, if any, incorporated by reference in the Final Supplemented
Prospectus, for them to be in conformity with GAAP; (2) such unaudited
condensed financial statements do not comply as to form in all material
respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the 1934 Act as it
applies to Form 10-Q and the related published rules and regulations
thereunder; (3) the unaudited amounts for Operating Revenues, Earnings
Before Income Taxes and Net Income After Dividends on Preferred Stock and
the unaudited Ratios of Earnings to Fixed Charges and Earnings to Fixed
Charges Plus Preferred Dividend Requirements (Pre-Income Tax Basis) set
forth in the Final Supplemented Prospectus do not agree with the amounts
set forth in or derived from the unaudited financial statements for the
same period (4) as of a specified date not more than five business days
prior to the date of delivery of such letter, there has been any change in
the capital stock or long-term debt of the Company or any decrease in net
assets as compared with amounts shown in the latest audited balance sheet
incorporated by reference in the Final Supplemented Prospectus, except in
each case for changes or decreases which (i) the Final Supplemented
Prospectus discloses have occurred or may occur, (ii) are occasioned by the
declaration of dividends, (iii) are occasioned by draw-downs and regularly
scheduled payments of capitalized lease obligations, (iv) are occasioned by
the purchase or redemption of bonds or stock to satisfy mandatory or
optional redemption provisions relating thereto, (v) are occasioned by
reclassification of current maturities of long-term debt or (vi) are
disclosed in such letter; and (5) the unaudited amounts for Operating
Revenues, Earnings Before Income Taxes and Net Income After Dividends on
Preferred Stock and the unaudited Ratios of Earnings to Fixed Charges and
Earnings to Fixed Charges Plus Preferred Dividend Requirements (Pre-Income
Tax Basis) for any calendar quarter subsequent to those set forth in (3)
above, which, if available, shall be set forth in such letter, do not agree
with the amounts set forth in or derived from the unaudited financial
statements for the same period or were not determined on a basis
substantially consistent with that of the corresponding audited amounts or
ratios included or incorporated by reference in the Final Supplemented
Prospectus.
(6) On the Closing Date, counsel for the Underwriters shall have been
furnished with such documents and opinions as it may reasonably require for
the purpose of enabling it to pass upon the issuance and sale of the Senior
Notes as herein contemplated and related proceedings, or in order to
evidence the accuracy of any of the representations or warranties, or the
fulfillment of any of the conditions, herein contained; and all proceedings
taken by the Company in connection with the issuance and sale of the Senior
Notes as herein contemplated shall be satisfactory in form and substance to
the Representative and Dewey Ballantine LLP, counsel for the Underwriters.
(7) That no amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or
the Final Supplemented Prospectus filed subsequent to the date of this
Agreement (including any filing made by the Company pursuant to Section 13
or 14 of the 1934 Act) shall be unsatisfactory in form to Dewey Ballantine
LLP or shall contain information (other than with respect to an amendment
or supplement relating solely to the activity of the Underwriters) which,
in the reasonable judgment of the Representative, shall materially impair
the marketability of the Senior Notes.
(8) The Company shall have performed its obligations when and as
provided under this Agreement.
If any condition specified in this Section shall not have been
fulfilled when and as required to be fulfilled, this Agreement may be terminated
by the Representative by notice to the Company at any time prior to the Closing
Date, and such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other
party except as provided in Sections 4, 7 and 9(b) hereof.
SECTION 6. CONDITIONS OF THE OBLIGATIONS OF THE COMPANY.
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The obligations of the Company shall be subject to the
conditions set forth in the first sentence of Section 5(a) and in Section 5(b).
In case such conditions shall not have been fulfilled, this Agreement may be
terminated by the Company by mailing or delivering written notice thereof to the
Representative. Any such termination shall be without liability of any party to
any other party except as otherwise provided in Sections 4, 7 and 9(b) hereof.
SECTION 7. INDEMNIFICATION.
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(a) The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each of the
Underwriters and each person, if any, who controls any such Underwriter
within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20(a) of the
1934 Act, against any and all losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint
or several, to which they or any of them may become subject under the 1933
Act, 1934 Act or otherwise, and to reimburse any such Underwriter and such
controlling person or persons, if any, for any legal or other expenses
incurred by them in connection with defending any actions, insofar as such
losses, claims, damages, liabilities or actions arise out of or are based
upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact
contained in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement, the
Prospectus or the Final Supplemented Prospectus or, if the Company shall
furnish to the Underwriters any amendments or any supplements thereto, or
shall make any filings pursuant to Section 13 or 14 of the 1934 Act which
are incorporated by reference therein, in any Preliminary Prospectus, the
Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the Final Supplemented Prospectus
as so amended or supplemented, or arise out of or are based upon any
omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to
be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not
misleading, except insofar as such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or
actions arise out of or are based upon any such untrue statement or alleged
untrue statement or omission or alleged omission which was made in such
Registration Statement, Preliminary Prospectus, Prospectus or Final
Supplemented Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with information
furnished in writing to the Company by any Underwriter through the
Representative for use therein and except that this indemnity with respect
to the Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or the Final Supplemented
Prospectus, if the Company shall have furnished any amendment or supplement
thereto, shall not inure to the benefit of any Underwriter (or of any
person controlling such Underwriter) on account of any losses, claims,
damages, liabilities or actions arising from the sale of the Senior Notes
to any person if a copy of the Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or
the Final Supplemented Prospectus (exclusive of documents incorporated
therein by reference pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3), as the same may then
be amended or supplemented, shall not have been sent or given by or on
behalf of such Underwriter to such person with or prior to the written
confirmation of the sale involved and the untrue statement or alleged
untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was corrected in the
Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or the Final Supplemented Prospectus
as supplemented or amended at the time of such confirmation. Each
Underwriter agrees, within ten days after the receipt by it of notice of
the commencement of any action in respect of which indemnity may be sought
by it, or by any person controlling it, from the Company on account of its
agreement contained in this Section 7, to notify the Company in writing of
the commencement thereof but the omission of such Underwriter so to notify
the Company of any such action shall not release the Company from any
liability which it may have to such Underwriter or to such controlling
person otherwise than on account of the indemnity agreement contained in
this Section 7. In case any such action shall be brought against an
Underwriter or any such person controlling such Underwriter and such
Underwriter shall notify the Company of the commencement thereof as above
provided, the Company shall be entitled to participate in (and, to the
extent that it shall wish, including the selection of counsel, to direct)
the defense thereof, at its own expense. In case the Company elects to
direct such defense and select such counsel, any Underwriter or controlling
person shall have the right to employ its own counsel, but, in any such
case, the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such
Underwriter or such controlling person unless the employment of such
counsel has been authorized in writing by the Company in connection with
defending such action. No indemnifying party shall, without the written
consent of the indemnified party, effect the settlement or compromise of,
or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to, any pending or
threatened action or claim in respect of which indemnification may be
sought hereunder (whether or not the indemnified party is an actual or
potential party to such action or claim) unless such settlement, compromise
or judgment (i) includes an unconditional release of the indemnified party
from all liability arising out of such action or claim and (ii) does not
include any statement as to, or an admission of, fault, culpability or a
failure to act, by or on behalf of any indemnified party. In no event shall
any indemnifying party have any liability or responsibility in respect of
the settlement or compromise of, or consent to the entry of any judgment
with respect to, any pending or threatened action or claim effected without
its prior written consent.
(b) Each Underwriter agrees severally and not jointly, to indemnify
and hold harmless the Company, its directors and such of its officers who
have signed the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who
controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or
Section 20(a) of the 1934 Act to the same extent and upon the same terms as
the indemnity agreement of the Company set forth in Section 7(a) hereof,
but only with respect to alleged untrue statements or omissions made in the
Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or the
Final Supplemented Prospectus, or such documents as amended or
supplemented, in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished
in writing to the Company by, or any Underwriter through the Representative
for use therein.
SECTION 8. REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES AND AGREEMENTS TO SURVIVE
DELIVERY.
All representations, warranties and agreements contained in
this Agreement, or contained in certificates of officers of the Company
submitted pursuant hereto, shall remain operative and in full force and effect,
regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or
controlling person, or by, or on behalf of the Company and shall survive
delivery of the Senior Notes to the Underwriters.
SECTION 9. TERMINATION OF AGREEMENT.
(a) The Representative may terminate this Agreement, by notice to the
Company, at any time at or prior to the Closing Date if (i) trading in
securities on the New York Stock Exchange shall have been generally
suspended or there shall have been a material disruption in settlement in
securities generally, (ii) minimum or maximum ranges for prices shall have
been generally established on the New York Stock Exchange by the Commission
or by the New York Stock Exchange, (iii) a general banking moratorium shall
have been declared by federal or New York State authorities, or (iv) there
shall have occurred any outbreak or escalation of major hostilities in
which the United States is involved, any declaration of war by the United
States Congress or any other substantial national or international
calamity, crisis or emergency (including, without limitation, acts of
terrorism) affecting the United States, in any such case provided for in
clauses (i) through (iv) with the result that, in the reasonable judgment
of the Representative, the marketability of the Senior Notes shall have
been materially impaired.
(b) If this Agreement shall be terminated by the Representative
pursuant to subsection (a) above or because of any failure or refusal on
the part of the Company to comply with the terms or to fulfill any of the
conditions of this Agreement, or if for any reason the Company shall be
unable to perform its obligations under this Agreement, then in any such
case, the Company will reimburse the Underwriters for the reasonable fees
and disbursements of Dewey Ballantine LLP and for the out of pocket
expenses (in an amount not exceeding $10,000) reasonably incurred by the
Underwriters in making preparations for the purchase, sale and delivery of
the Senior Notes and, upon such reimbursement, the Company shall be
absolved from any further liability hereunder, except as provided in
Sections 4 and 7.
SECTION 10. DEFAULT BY AN UNDERWRITER.
-------------------------
If an Underwriter shall fail on the Closing Date to purchase
the Senior Notes that it is obligated to purchase under this Agreement (the
"Defaulted Securities"), the Representative shall have the right, within 24
hours thereafter, to make arrangements for the non-defaulting Underwriters, or
any other underwriters, to purchase all, but not less than all, of the Defaulted
Securities in such amounts as may be agreed upon and upon the terms herein set
forth. If, however, the Representative shall not have completed such
arrangements within such 24-hour period, then:
(a) if the principal amount of Defaulted Securities does not exceed
10% of the Senior Notes, the non-defaulting Underwriters shall be
obligated, severally and not jointly, to purchase the full amount thereof
in the proportions that their respective underwriting obligations hereunder
bear to the underwriting obligations of all non-defaulting Underwriters, or
(b) if the principal amount of Defaulted Securities exceeds 10% of the
Senior Notes, this Agreement shall terminate without liability on the part
of any non-defaulting Underwriter.
No action taken pursuant to this Section shall relieve any
defaulting Underwriter from liability in respect of its default.
In the event of any such default which does not result in a
termination of this Agreement, either the Representative or the Company shall
have the right to postpone the Closing Date for a period not exceeding seven
days in order to effect any required changes in the Registration Statement or
Final Supplemented Prospectus or in any other documents or arrangements.
SECTION 11. NOTICES. All notices and other communications hereunder
shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if mailed
or transmitted by any standard form of telecommunication. Notices to the
Underwriters shall be directed to the Representative at c/o Citigroup
Global Markets Inc., 390 Greenwich Street, New York, NY 10013, Attention:
Howard L. Hiller; notices to the Company shall be mailed to 241 Ralph
McGill Boulevard, N.E., Atlanta, Georgia 30308-3374, Attention: Corporate
Secretary, with a copy to Southern Company Services, Inc., 270 Peachtree
Street, N.W., Atlanta, Georgia 30303, Attention: Earl C. Long.
SECTION 12. PARTIES. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and
be binding upon the Underwriters, the Company and their respective
successors. Nothing expressed or mentioned in this Agreement is intended or
shall be construed to give any person, firm or corporation, other than the
Underwriters and the Company and their respective successors and the
controlling persons and officers and directors referred to in Section 7 and
their heirs and legal representatives, any legal or equitable right, remedy
or claim under or in respect of this Agreement or any provision herein
contained. This Agreement and all conditions and provisions hereof are
intended to be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the Underwriters and
the Company and their respective successors, and said controlling persons
and officers and directors and their heirs and legal representatives, and
for the benefit of no other person, firm or corporation. No purchaser of
Senior Notes from the Underwriters shall be deemed to be a successor by
reason merely of such purchase.
SECTION 13. GOVERNING LAW AND TIME. This Agreement shall be governed
by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York
applicable to agreements made and to be performed in said State. Except as
otherwise set forth herein, specified times of day refer to New York City
time.
SECTION 14. COUNTERPARTS. This Agreement may be executed by any one or
more of the parties hereto in any number of counterparts, each of which
shall be deemed to be an original, but all such respective counterparts
shall together constitute one and the same instrument.
If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of
our agreement, please sign and return to the Company a counterpart hereof,
whereupon this instrument, along with all counterparts, will become a binding
agreement between the Underwriters and the Company in accordance with its terms.
Very truly yours,
GEORGIA POWER COMPANY
By: ________________________
Name:
Title:
CONFIRMED AND ACCEPTED,
as of the date first above written
CITIGROUP GLOBAL MARKETS INC.
By: ___________________________
Name:
Title:
As Representative of the other Underwriters
named in Schedule I hereto
SCHEDULE I
NAME OF UNDERWRITER Principal Amount of Series Q
Senior Notes
Citigroup Global Markets Inc. $ 60,000,000
Banc of America Securities LLC $ 30,000,000
Credit Lyonnais Securities (USA) Inc. $ 5,000,000
Jackson Securities, LLC $ 5,000,000
TOTAL $100,000,000
============
Schedule II
[Letterhead of TROUTMAN SANDERS LLP]
September __, 2003
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
390 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10013
As Representative of the Several Underwriters
GEORGIA POWER COMPANY
Series Q 4.90% Senior Notes due September 15, 2013
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as counsel to Georgia Power Company (the
"Company") in connection with (i) the Company's issuance and sale of
$100,000,000 aggregate principal amount of its Series Q 4.90% Senior Notes due
September 15, 2013 (the "Notes") pursuant to a Senior Note Indenture dated as of
January 1, 1998, by and between the Company and JPMorgan Chase Bank (formerly
known as The Chase Manhattan Bank), as trustee (the "Trustee"), as heretofore
supplemented and as supplemented by the Seventeenth Supplemental Indenture dated
as of September 16, 2003 (collectively, the "Indenture"); and (ii) the purchase
by the Underwriters of the Notes pursuant to the terms of an Underwriting
Agreement dated September 8, 2003, among the Company and the Underwriters for
whom you are acting as Representative (the "Underwriting Agreement"). This
opinion is being delivered to you pursuant to Section 5(c)(1) of the
Underwriting Agreement.
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 Nos. 333-105815, 333-105815-01,
333-105815-02, 333-105815-03 and 333-105815-04) pertaining to the Notes and
certain other securities (the "Registration Statement") filed under the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Act"), and the prospectus of the
Company dated June 25, 2003 as supplemented by the prospectus supplement dated
September 8, 2003 (the "Final Supplemented Prospectus"), 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, 2002, the Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q of
the Company for the quarters ended March 31, 2003 and June 30, 2003 and the
Current Reports on Form 8-K of the Company dated February 13, 2003, February 21,
2003, April 10, 2003 and September 8, 2003 (the "Exchange Act Documents"), each
as filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange
Act").
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, other than those of the Company, 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 collectively as the "Agreements".
Based on the foregoing, and subject to the qualifications and
limitations stated herein, we are of the opinion, relying as to matters of New
York law upon the opinion dated the date hereof rendered to you by Dewey
Ballantine LLP, 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 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 thereunder
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 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 Underwriters 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 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 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 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 your counsel. Based upon
our examination of the Registration Statement, the Final Supplemented Prospectus
and the Exchange Act Documents, our investigations made in connection with the
preparation of the Registration Statement, the Final Supplemented Prospectus and
the Exchange Act Documents and our participation in the conferences referred to
above, (i) we are of the opinion that the Registration Statement, as of its
effective date, and the Final Supplemented Prospectus, as of September 8, 2003,
complied as to form in all material respects with the relevant requirements of
the Act and the applicable rules and 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 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, as of its
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, 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 Final Supplemented Prospectus or the Exchange
Act Documents and with respect to information set forth in the Final
Supplemented Prospectus under the caption "Description of the Series Q Senior
Notes -- Book-Entry Only Issuance -- The Depository Trust Company".
We are members of the State Bar of Georgia and we do not
express any opinion herein concerning any law other than the law of the State of
Georgia and the federal law of the United States and, to the extent set forth
herein, the laws of the State of New York.
This opinion is rendered to you in connection with the
above-described transaction. 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 Dewey Ballantine LLP may rely on this opinion
in giving its opinion pursuant to Section 5(c) of the Underwriting Agreement
insofar as such opinion relates to matters of Georgia law.
Yours very truly,
TROUTMAN SANDERS LLP
Schedule III
[Letterhead of Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP]
September __, 2003
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
390 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10013
As Representative of the Several Underwriters
Georgia Power Company
241 Ralph McGill Boulevard, N.E.
Atlanta, Georgia 30308-3374
Georgia Power Company
Series Q 4.90% Senior Notes
due September 15, 2013
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as counsel to JPMorgan Chase Bank (formerly
known as The Chase Manhattan Bank) (the "Bank") in connection with (a) the
Senior Note Indenture, dated as of January 1, 1998 as heretofore supplemented
(the "Original Indenture"), between Georgia Power Company (the "Company") and
the Bank, as Trustee, and (b) the Seventeenth Supplemental Indenture dated as of
September 16, 2003 (together with the Original Indenture, herein called the
"Indenture"), between the Company and the Bank, as Trustee.
In that connection, we have examined originals, or copies
certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of such documents,
records and other instruments as we have deemed necessary or appropriate for the
purpose of this opinion, including copies of the Indenture and certain
resolutions adopted by the Board of Directors of the Bank.
Based upon the foregoing, we are of the opinion that:
(i) the Bank has been duly incorporated and is validly
existing as a banking corporation in good standing under the laws of the State
of New York;
(ii) the Bank has the corporate trust power and authority to
execute, deliver and perform its duties under the Indenture, has duly executed
and delivered the Indenture, and, insofar as the laws governing the trust powers
of the Bank are concerned and assuming due authorization, execution and delivery
thereof by the Company, the Indenture constitutes a legal, valid and binding
agreement of the Bank, enforceable against the Bank in accordance with its
terms, subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer,
reorganization, moratorium or other laws affecting creditors' rights generally
from time to time in effect and to general principles of equity (including,
without limitation, concepts of materiality, reasonableness, good faith and fair
dealing), regardless of whether considered in a proceeding in equity or at law;
(iii) the execution, delivery and performance by the Bank of
the Indenture do not conflict with or constitute a breach of the charter or
bylaws of the Bank; and
(iv) no approval, authorization or other action by, or filing
with, any governmental authority of the United States of America or the State of
New York having jurisdiction over the trust powers of the Bank is required in
connection with the execution and delivery by the Bank of the Indenture or the
performance by the Bank of its duties thereunder, except such as have been
obtained, taken or made.
We are admitted to practice only in the State of New York, and
we express no opinion as to matters governed by any laws other than the laws of
the State of New York and the Federal law of the United States of America. We
are furnishing this opinion to you solely for your benefit. This opinion is not
to be relied upon by any other person or used, circulated, quoted or otherwise
referred to for any other purpose.
Very truly yours,
CRAVATH, SWAINE & MOORE LLP
Schedule IV
[Letterhead of DEWEY BALLANTINE LLP]
September __, 2003
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
390 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10013
As Representative of the Several Underwriters
GEORGIA POWER COMPANY
Series Q 4.90% Senior Notes
due September 15, 2013
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have represented you in connection with (i) the issuance by
Georgia Power Company (the "Company") of $100,000,000 of its Series Q 4.90%
Senior Notes due September 15, 2013 (the "Notes") pursuant to a Senior Note
Indenture dated as of January 1, 1998, by and between the Company and JPMorgan
Chase Bank (formerly known as The Chase Manhattan Bank), as trustee (the
"Trustee"), as heretofore supplemented and as further supplemented by the
Seventeenth Supplemental Indenture dated as of September 16, 2003 (collectively,
the "Indenture"); and (ii) the purchase by the Underwriters of the Notes
pursuant to the terms of an Underwriting Agreement dated September 8, 2003,
among the Company and the Underwriters for whom you are acting as Representative
(the "Underwriting Agreement"). This opinion is being delivered to you pursuant
to Section 5(c)(3) of the Underwriting Agreement.
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 Nos. 333-105815, 333-105815-01,
333-105815-02, 333-105815-03 and 333-105815-04) pertaining to the Notes (the
"Registration Statement"), filed under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended
(the "Act"), and the prospectus dated June 25, 2003, as supplemented by a final
prospectus supplement relating to the Notes dated September 8, 2003 (the "Final
Supplemented Prospectus"), 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, 2002, the Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q of the Company for the quarters
ended March 31, 2003 and June 30, 2003 and the Current Reports on Form 8-K of
the Company dated February 13, 2003, February 21, 2003, April 10, 2003 and
September 8, 2003 (the "Exchange Act Documents"), each as filed under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act").
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 and 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 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 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 Underwriters 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 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 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 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 Final Supplemented
Prospectus and the Exchange Act Documents, our investigations made in connection
with the preparation of the Registration Statement and the Final Supplemented
Prospectus and our participation in the conferences referred to above, (i) we
are of the opinion that the Registration Statement, as of its effective date,
and the Final Supplemented Prospectus, as of September 8, 2003, complied as to
form in all material respects with the requirements of the Act and the
applicable rules and 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 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, as of its
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, 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 Final Supplemented Prospectus or the Exchange
Act Documents and with respect to information set forth in the Final
Supplemented Prospectus under the caption "Description of the Series Q Senior
Notes --Book-Entry Only Issuance --The Depository Trust Company".
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 5(c) of the Underwriting Agreement and to Sections
102, 302 and 904 of the Indenture, insofar as such opinion relates to matters of
New York law.
Very truly yours,
DEWEY BALLANTINE LLP