Coal, oil and gas will continue to supply much of Georgia Power’s electricity for years to come after state regulators approved a long-range energy plan Tuesday for the utility that was driven overwhelmingly by the needs of data centers.
The road map, known as an Integrated Resource Plan, was greenlit unanimouslyby the five members of the all-Republican Georgia Public Service Commission, after months of debate.
The plan keeps polluting coal plants running and sets the stage for a historic expansion of the utility’s generation fleet. It mirrors an agreement unveiled last week between Georgia Power and the PSC’s public interest advocacy staff.
Deals like this, called stipulated agreements, often emerge from the complex cases heard by the PSC. Other parties can endorse the agreement — in this case, the U.S. Department of Defense and other federal agencies, Walmart, and some energy and manufacturing industry groups signed on in support.
The impetus behind Georgia Power’s request is the influx of data centers to metro Atlanta, now the country’s top growthmarket for the energy-intensive facilities. The largest, “hyperscale” data centers can require as much electricity as a small city.