Southern Company only bid for New Power

ATLANTA - Southern Company&#39;s $60 million offer to purchase the natural gas operations of New Power Company in Georgia was the only one to meet a deadline for bids. <br> <br> That means the state&#39;s fourth-ranked gas marketer will ask U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge W. Homer Drake to approve the purchase during a hearing Friday in Newnan, south of Atlanta. <br> <br> The deal also is subject to approval by the state Public Service Commission. The PSC has scheduled a public hearing July 16th on certification for Southern Natural Gas, a newly formed subsidiary of the Atlanta-based utility holding company. <br> <br> The PSC will vote July 19th whether to allow Southern Company to take over New Power&#39;s 210,000 Georgia gas customers on August 1st.