Ellington

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Southern Companies says the expected startup date of its coal gas-fired power plant in Kemper County is being pushed back to the first half of 2015.

In a regulatory filing Tuesday with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company also says the plant's cost is expected to rise by $196 million to a total of about $5.4 billion.

The Atlanta-based company says it will take a pre-tax charge of $380 million — $235 million after taxes — against its income for the first quarter of 2014.

A spokesman for Southern-affiliate Mississippi Power Company says the utility will not seek to recover the increased costs from ratepayers.

Earlier this month the company blamed poor weather, unexpected turnover of construction employees and installation inefficiencies for contributing to extra costs.