July 22 (Bloomberg) -- Southern Co., the biggest U.S. power producer, is considering building a nuclear power plant in the U.S. to meet demand for electricity and limit the emissions of fossil fuels blamed for global warming.

Southern, based in Atlanta, plans to file for a combined construction and operating license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in 2011, Beth Thomas, a spokeswoman, said in a telephone interview today. The company hasn’t picked a site for the new facility, she said.

“Nuclear energy provides clean, safe, reliable, economical electricity and represents a good value for the customer,” Thomas said.

Southern, which serves 4.4 million customers in the Southeast, already plans to expand its Vogtle nuclear plant in Georgia to add two 1,100-megawatt reactors at the site, which already has two operating units. The Energy Daily reported the plan for the new plant on its Web site yesterday.

President Barack Obama is encouraging new nuclear power plants because they don’t produce greenhouse-gas emissions tied to global warming, Energy Secretary Steven Chu has said.

Southern currently has 42,607 megawatts of generating capacity, 68 percent of which is coal-fired, 16 percent is oil and natural gas, 15 percent is nuclear and 1 percent is hydro, according to the company’s Web site.

Southern fell 15 cents to $31.78 in composite trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

To contact the reporter on this story: Katarzyna Klimasinska in Houston at kklimasinska@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: July 22, 2009 16:18 EDT