The Georgia Public Service Commission has approved a plan allowing Georgia Power to move forward with nearly 9,900 megawatts of new electricity generation to meet the demands of Georgia’s rapidly growing economy.
Georgia Power says the approval follows a stipulated agreement with the commission’s Public Interest Advocacy staff that is intended to limit future cost impacts on residential customers. As part of the agreement, the utility committed to filing its next base rate case in 2028 in a way that ensures increased revenue from large industrial and commercial customers provides at least $556 million per year in customer benefits. That amount is equivalent to about $8.50 per month, or roughly $102 per year, for a typical residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per month.
The company says the plan reinforces its commitment to keeping power affordable as Georgia experiences what it describes as extraordinary growth. The agreement also follows the current three-year freeze on Georgia Power’s base rates, excluding storm-related costs, announced earlier this year.
The approved plan comes after months of review of Georgia Power’s original July filing, which sought approval for a diverse mix of new resources. Those include more than 3,600 megawatts of new combined-cycle natural gas generation, over 3,000 megawatts of battery energy storage systems, 350 megawatts of battery storage paired with solar, and more than 2,800 megawatts through power purchase agreements. Georgia Power says the mix is designed to benefit customers statewide while supporting reliability and long-term demand.
State officials point to continued economic expansion as a driving force behind the need for additional generation. According to the Georgia Department of Economic Development, the state recorded more than $26 billion in investment and expects over 23,000 new private-sector jobs from economic development activity in the last fiscal year.
Georgia Power will continue submitting quarterly reports to the PSC detailing large-load growth and projected electricity demand. The company’s most recent report shows thousands of additional megawatts of demand expected in coming years, with nearly 30 large-load projects either under construction or pending across the state.
Utility officials say growth from large-load customers is a key factor helping maintain the current base rate freeze by spreading fixed costs across a larger customer base. Updated PSC rules adopted earlier this year now require potential large-load customers to meet stricter financial and infrastructure readiness standards before being included in Georgia Power’s long-term forecasts.
Georgia Power reports it has filed more than 3 gigawatts of new customer contracts with the PSC this year under the revised rules, with additional commitments still under evaluation.
