The Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) unanimously agreed Tuesday to hold hearings considering a request from Georgia Power to certify an additional 9,900 megawatts of power-generating capacity this Fall.
The request calls for new gas-burning turbines at the company’s Bowen, Wansley, and McIntosh plants to add approximately 8,000 megawatts of new power-generating capacity. This also includes the purchase of gas produced at existing plants and the construction of battery energy storage systems (BESS), which would be paired with solar power.
The additional 1,866 megawatts of new capacity would also come via purchasing gas and through the BESS solar-paired systems. Around 80% of the new capacity would be used to meet demand across the state, namely, data centers that use a high level of electricity to operate.
Environmentalists have raised alarms, however, worrying the increase in energy production would generate more emissions and pollution due to its reliance on fossil fuels, according to the Capitol Beat.
“Georgia Power and its parent – Southern Co. – want to heat up the planet, pollute our air, and make their customers pay for it,” said Adrien Webber, director of the Sierra Club’s Georgia chapter. “This proposal is not in the best interests of Georgia Power’s customers or our environment, and if we had a Public Service Commission that actually worked for the public, it would be dismissed as unreasonable.”
In July, the PSC approved an agreement with Georgia Power to produce 6,000 megawatts of energy between 2029 and 2031. That could increase by another 2,500 megawatts if the company demonstrates to energy regulators that additional capacity is needed during that time.
The agreement finalized the 2025 Georgia Power Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), updated by the PSC every three years, and while the company and PSC disagreed on expected energy consumption in the coming years, both agree the amount will be significant.
The company will be required to continue filing quarterly Large Load Economic Development Reports, while both Georgia Power and PSC will continue to review and update methods to estimate data center load growth.
“As data center construction continues in Georgia, this IRP puts us in a safe and secure spot to meet that energy need,” said PSC Chairman Jason Shaw in a statement. “This long-term plan continues to strike a balance between reliability and affordability.”
Hearings on the newly proposed capacity will take place in October and early December, with the vote on the certification request due Dec.19.
