[7] During this period, Fanning led a team that acquired an interest in the Loy Yang B Power Station in Victoria, Australia.

[9] Fanning became president of Southern Company in August 2010, and chairman and chief executive officer in December 2010.

[10] In an interview with EnergyWire in July 2016, Fanning said, "The greatest advantage America has right now, beyond technology innovation as a core principle, is energy policy.

"[11] In 2015, Fanning announced the merger of Southern Company and AGL Resources Inc., which upon completion in July 2016 created a combined company with operations in 18 states, including electric and gas utilities in nine states, among the poorest in the nation, serving 9 million customers, and 32,500 employees.

[13] Fanning is helping lead efforts within the electric utility industry to coordinate plans to protect critical infrastructure from physical and cyber threats.

Industry-government cooperation, he said, is "exceedingly important to ensuring the security of the electric system that is so essential to the life, health and safety of all Americans.

[19] He was a recipient of the 2015 John D. Dingell Award from the National Labor and Management Public Affairs Committee.