The Sierra Club released its sixth annual Dirty Truth Report, evaluating utility companies across the United States on their progress toward energy transition. Mississippi Power received a score of 44 out of 100 in the assessment, which measures utilities based on coal plant retirements, natural gas expansion plans, and renewable energy additions.
Nationally, the 76 utilities included in the evaluation achieved a combined score of 7 out of 100, marking an eight-point decline from the previous year’s assessment and representing the lowest aggregate score in the report’s history. The findings indicate a widespread slowdown in the energy transition across the utility sector.
According to the report, renewable energy currently represents the most cost-effective electricity generation method, while coal and fossil fuels remain expensive and carry substantial public health risks. However, Mississippi Power’s investment strategy does not reflect this economic reality, with the utility showing limited commitment to renewable energy development. This approach, according to the report, results in higher electricity costs for consumers, increased environmental pollution, and reduced grid reliability.
Amy Kelly, Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign Manager, characterized Mississippi Power as the only Southern Company subsidiary maintaining coal plant retirements, describing this as indicative of Southern Company’s broader strategy to sustain coal infrastructure throughout the Southeast. She emphasized the necessity for consistent investment in affordable clean energy to reduce consumer costs and mitigate pollution from fossil fuel plants.
Sierra Club Chief Program Officer Holly Bender stated that the report demonstrates utilities’ collective failure to plan fossil fuel phase-outs and transition to clean energy. She noted that delayed action on the clean energy transition perpetuates high electricity bills, extreme weather impacts, and air and water pollution. Bender highlighted concerns that data center expansion is driving utilities toward expensive and dangerous fossil fuels, and called for immediate utility sector transition to affordable, reliable clean energy solutions.
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