XML 224 R182.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT
v3.24.0.1

LEASES - Major Categories of Lease Obligations (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions | Dec. 31, 2023 | Dec. 31, 2022
--- | --- | ---
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items] |  |
Lease obligations | $ 1,788 | $ 1,899
Alabama Power |  |
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items] |  |
Lease obligations | 98 | 81
Georgia Power |  |
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items] |  |
Lease obligations | 1,115 | 1,240
Mississippi Power |  |
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items] |  |
Lease obligations | 25 | 26
Southern Power |  |
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items] |  |
Lease obligations | 546 | 542
Southern Company Gas |  |
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items] |  |
Lease obligations | 51 | 60
Electric generating units(*) |  |
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items] |  |
Lease obligations | 670 | 760
Electric generating units(*) | Alabama Power |  |
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items] |  |
Lease obligations | 58 | 59
Electric generating units(*) | Georgia Power |  |
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items] |  |
Lease obligations | 1,028 | 1,163
Electric generating units(*) | Mississippi Power |  |
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items] |  |
Lease obligations | 0 | 0
Electric generating units(*) | Southern Power |  |
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items] |  |
Lease obligations | 0 | 0
Electric generating units(*) | Southern Company Gas |  |
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items] |  |
Lease obligations | 0 | 0
Real estate/land |  |
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items] |  |
Lease obligations | 871 | 885
Real estate/land | Alabama Power |  |
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items] |  |
Lease obligations | 4 | 4
Real estate/land | Georgia Power |  |
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items] |  |
Lease obligations | 54 | 54
Real estate/land | Mississippi Power |  |
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items] |  |
Lease obligations | 2 | 2
Real estate/land | Southern Power |  |
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items] |  |
Lease obligations | 546 | 542
Real estate/land | Southern Company Gas |  |
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items] |  |
Lease obligations | 28 | 36
Communication towers |  |
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items] |  |
Lease obligations | 123 | 141
Communication towers | Alabama Power |  |
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items] |  |
Lease obligations | 1 | 2
Communication towers | Georgia Power |  |
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items] |  |
Lease obligations | 4 | 4
Communication towers | Mississippi Power |  |
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items] |  |
Lease obligations | 0 | 0
Communication towers | Southern Power |  |
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items] |  |
Lease obligations | 0 | 0
Communication towers | Southern Company Gas |  |
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items] |  |
Lease obligations | 23 | 23
Railcars |  |
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items] |  |
Lease obligations | 64 | 34
Railcars | Alabama Power |  |
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items] |  |
Lease obligations | 32 | 12
Railcars | Georgia Power |  |
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items] |  |
Lease obligations | 27 | 18
Railcars | Mississippi Power |  |
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items] |  |
Lease obligations | 5 | 3
Railcars | Southern Power |  |
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items] |  |
Lease obligations | 0 | 0
Railcars | Southern Company Gas |  |
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items] |  |
Lease obligations | 0 | 0
Other |  |
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items] |  |
Lease obligations | 60 | 79
Other | Alabama Power |  |
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items] |  |
Lease obligations | 3 | 4
Other | Georgia Power |  |
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items] |  |
Lease obligations | 2 | 1
Other | Mississippi Power |  |
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items] |  |
Lease obligations | 18 | 21
Other | Southern Power |  |
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items] |  |
Lease obligations | 0 | 0
Other | Southern Company Gas |  |
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items] |  |
Lease obligations | $ 0 | $ 1

X
- Definition Lease, Liability + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | so_LeaseLiability
Namespace Prefix: | so_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | credit
Period Type: | instant

X
- Definition Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Topic 842 -SubTopic 20 -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Section 50 -Paragraph 3 -Publisher FASB -URI https://asc.fasb.org//1943274/2147478964/842-20-50-3 + Details
Name: | us-gaap_LesseeLeaseDescriptionLineItems
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Details
Name: | dei_LegalEntityAxis=so_AlabamaPowerMember
Namespace Prefix: |
Data Type: | na
Balance Type: |
Period Type: |

X
- Details
Name: | dei_LegalEntityAxis=so_GeorgiaPowerMember
Namespace Prefix: |
Data Type: | na
Balance Type: |
Period Type: |

X
- Details
Name: | dei_LegalEntityAxis=so_MississippiPowerMember
Namespace Prefix: |
Data Type: | na
Balance Type: |
Period Type: |

X
- Details
Name: | dei_LegalEntityAxis=so_SouthernPowerMember
Namespace Prefix: |
Data Type: | na
Balance Type: |
Period Type: |

X
- Details
Name: | dei_LegalEntityAxis=so_SouthernCompanyGasMember
Namespace Prefix: |
Data Type: | na
Balance Type: |
Period Type: |

X
- Details
Name: | us-gaap_PropertyPlantAndEquipmentByTypeAxis=so_ElectricGeneratingUnitsMember
Namespace Prefix: |
Data Type: | na
Balance Type: |
Period Type: |

X
- Details
Name: | us-gaap_PropertyPlantAndEquipmentByTypeAxis=us-gaap_LandAndBuildingMember
Namespace Prefix: |
Data Type: | na
Balance Type: |
Period Type: |

X
- Details
Name: | us-gaap_PropertyPlantAndEquipmentByTypeAxis=so_CommunicationTowersMember
Namespace Prefix: |
Data Type: | na
Balance Type: |
Period Type: |

X
- Details
Name: | us-gaap_PropertyPlantAndEquipmentByTypeAxis=so_RailcarsMember
Namespace Prefix: |
Data Type: | na
Balance Type: |
Period Type: |

X
- Details
Name: | us-gaap_PropertyPlantAndEquipmentByTypeAxis=us-gaap_PropertyPlantAndEquipmentOtherTypesMember
Namespace Prefix: |
Data Type: | na
Balance Type: |
Period Type: |