UPDATE 1-Southern reduces Ala. Farley 1 reactor for short work

(Updates with company comment)

NEW YORK, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Southern Co (SO.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) reduced the 851-megawatt Unit 1 at the Farley nuclear power station in Alabama from full power to about 70 percent by early Friday for short maintenance, a spokeswoman for the company said.

She said workers would repair a steam line in the turbine building.

The 1,711 MW Farley station is located in Dothan in Houston County, about 95 miles northwest of Tallahassee, Florida. There are two units at the station, Unit 1 and the 860 MW Unit 2, which entered service in 1977 and 1981, respectively.

Unit 2 continued to operate at full capacity.

One MW powers about 500 homes in Alabama.

In 2005, the NRC renewed the plant's original 40-year operating licenses for both units for another 20 years until 2037 and 2041.

Southern, of Atlanta, owns and operates more than 42,000 MW of generating capacity, markets energy commodities, and tranmits and distributes electricity to nearly 4.4 million customers in Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida. (Reporting by Scott DiSavino; Editing by John Picinich)