The Georgia Public Service Commission will allow the state’s largest electric utility to proceed with its $15 billion plan to build nearly 10,000 megawatts of new generation—two-thirds of its present capacity—within a decade to accommodate “large load” demand from data centers.
The five-member commission on Dec. 19 unanimously approved a “stipulated agreement” with Georgia Power Company that requires data center developers to pay capital improvement costs related to grid expansion, and that households and small businesses won’t be left with the bill should projected growth not materialize as anticipated.
The decision follows months of contentious debate before the commission, which re-surfaced before the final vote during three hours of laborious discussion on motions filed by advocacy groups questioning the certainty of those assurances, followed by animated public comment dominated by opponents….