[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6617992,"mediaKeyId","2838457-ef936954bd8233e422fdedebffd3f6a0","parentId",2838457,"title","Utilities tell Economic Development & Tourism committee reliability, planning and customer-choice rules underpin statewide job growth","audioSeconds",4587,"startMs",1437000,"endMs",6024000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2838457-ef936954bd8233e422fdedebffd3f6a0&start=1437&end=6024","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2838457-ef936954bd8233e422fdedebffd3f6a0/thumbnail_1437000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6617992/Georgia/Utilities-tell-Economic-Development-Tourism-committee-reliability-planning-and-customer-choice-rules-underpin-statewide-job-growth","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6617992-a7e36c34d4382a29c9b9d2c1dd880af9/orig.mp4?Expires=1771161769&Signature=bGWblJZrO21jaJyRE2nJWCxzHqeet9g6mr8ke9dH4B4XxrD9wCKMq9kHu8KuFh2qtxjRCHbuZsXn4NuarwK5fQ2Zi1M4qa58f7ZqZxwoF8VsWh4r-2v3XnIX5saoYetAl4ikj7dSB6XdIkyXTr-ZB3J061vUA~YOmYGKexx6kENJwPDjLZmEHtaazjXAuXkgoGNZ8Hqu-kZfcZt8ZRP4N08UntP~XsG5osnNNleO9Q~0qnf1wc1SgVyehCTbXDUEaEHxU0I2jNdTfMUHqPz3YLa4Wnb-WPQkkVfAqAByzVVrO5uTGeu1DfDHKdPxAtC7GdPKhL743lU7Cq5gwgv1Eg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","State of Georgia ","date","2025-04-01T19:11:25.737Z","article","Chairman Jason Shaw of the Georgia Public Service Commission told the House Economic Development & Tourism Committee on Oct. 27 that a reliable electric grid and competitive rates are central to the state’s economic development success.

\"We regulate the investor owned utilities in the state,\" Shaw said, outlining the PSC’s functions and saying the agency sees itself “as an economic development arm of the state.” He described the commission’s role in reliability, natural gas safety and in overseeing renewables and long‑range planning.

The committee heard that Georgia’s integrated planning processes and customer‑choice rules are being used to prepare for sharp load growth driven largely by data centers. Shaw said Georgia Power’s integrated resource plan (IRP) — the 20‑year resource planning docket the utility files every three years under the enacted IRP law — is central to ensuring reliability and that the PSC will vote on the current case in July. He told members the commission opened an update to the IRP last year to add capacity after a rapid jump in projects seeking to locate in Georgia.

Why it matters: multiple presenters said Georgia’s grid reliability, long‑term planning and territorial rules — including a one‑time customer choice for very large new customers — are among the reasons site selectors and data centers target Georgia, carrying implications for electricity supply, transmission planning and ratepayer protections.

What presenters said and what they told the committee

- Load growth and the IRP. Shaw and other utility presenters described an unprecedented surge of large projects seeking service. Shaw quoted pipeline estimates that rose from roughly 16,000 megawatts of projects in October 2023, to about 24,000 megawatts when the commission voted on the IRP update last year, to roughly 34,000 megawatts early this year and \"about 40,000 megawatts\" at the time of his remarks. He said planners are preparing for several thousand megawatts that are most likely to come online and that the IRP process and related hearings are being used to secure new capacity.

- Minimum‑bill provisions and contract length for large loads. Shaw described recent PSC rules requiring very large customers (presenters used 100 megawatts as the large‑load example) to pay a share of connection costs up front, and said the commission has shifted from short (three‑ to five‑year) contracts toward 15‑year minimum bills so new large customers help cover the costs of generation, transmission and distribution needed to serve them.

- Data centers and economic development. Multiple presenters said data centers account for a large share of the current pipeline, noting their high, sustained electricity use and that their siting drives new transmission and generation needs. Shaw said such customers helped spur an IRP update that added megawatts procured through RFPs.

- Georgia’s fuel mix and capacity investments. Shaw provided a high‑level Georgia Power system breakdown that he attributed to the utility: about 41% natural gas, roughly 14% nuclear (driven by the new Vogtle Units 3 and 4), 18% coal and about 20% renewables (mainly solar). Oglethorpe Power and EMC partners described a separate but similar mix for co‑op systems and plans to add generation: Oglethorpe initiated two new generation projects in Monroe and Talbot counties totaling about $2.1 billion, the EMC presenters said.

- Territorial rules and customer choice. Jason Bragg of Georgia EMC described the Georgia Territorial Electric Service Act of 1973, which divides the state into service territories but allows a one‑time provider choice for new customers whose connected load exceeds 900 kilowatts. He said the customer‑choice provision and the state’s integrated transmission system give Georgia an advantage in recruiting large industrial projects.

- Cooperatives and scale. Bragg said Georgia has 41 electric cooperatives serving roughly 4.4 million residents over about three‑quarters of the state’s land area; EMCs generally have far fewer meters per mile than investor‑owned utilities, reflecting their rural service patterns. He also described joint planning through Oglethorpe Power and Georgia Transmission.

- Local and statewide utility economic‑development teams. Charlie Mosley of Georgia Power, Bradley Harris of Georgia EMC and Scott Berta of Electric Cities of Georgia described how their organizations coordinate with the Georgia Department of Economic Development and local partners to market sites, produce GIS and 3‑D visualizations, maintain available‑site and building databases, and support local workforce and site‑preparation work. Mosley said Georgia’s model — cooperation among state agencies and utilities under a Team Georgia approach — is a competitive advantage.

- Natural gas and rural expansion. Shaw and EMC presenters noted work to expand natural gas infrastructure through a universal service fund and an economic development tariff to serve rural areas. Shaw told the committee the universal service fund currently has about $70,000,000 available while projects seeking assistance total on the order of $250,000,000.

Committee questions and next steps

Committee members asked how the integrated transmission system and regional ties allow Georgia to import power in emergencies; presenters confirmed Georgia can and has pulled power from neighboring states and emphasized joint planning. Members also asked for follow‑up materials; presenters said slide decks and contact information would be shared with the committee.

Ending

Utility and PSC officials told the Economic Development & Tourism Committee that Georgia’s combination of grid reliability, statutory planning tools such as the IRP, territorial customer‑choice provisions and cooperative economic‑development programs has helped the state attract large, energy‑intensive projects while providing mechanisms to require those customers to pay their share of new interconnection costs. No formal committee action or vote was recorded during the presentations.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Economic Development & Tourism 04.01.25","oneSentenceSummary","Chairman Jason Shaw of the Georgia Public Service Commission told the House Economic Development & Tourism Committee on Oct. 27 that a reliable electric grid and competitive rates are central to the state’s economic development success.","taxTitle","Economic Development & Tourism, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative, Georgia","taxId",16943,"location","Georgia","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6617987,"The Ray urges use of interstate right‑of‑way for solar, EV charging and faster transmission to support resilience and economic sites",1183,5901000,7084000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2838457-ef936954bd8233e422fdedebffd3f6a0&start=5901&end=7084","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2838457-ef936954bd8233e422fdedebffd3f6a0/thumbnail_5901000.jpg","/articles/6617987/Georgia/The-Ray-urges-use-of-interstate-rightofway-for-solar-EV-charging-and-faster-transmission-to-support-resilience-and-economic-sites","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6617987-43db392506ce8fc3c090fb5f8c273de8/orig.mp4?Expires=1771161769&Signature=IgtLN~dvFP46s3abxDLbhhujfkhO665LECsRsCrHSun~zu~AEqwwRB1V5puK92482bdLq8SVidYoL~pWFChRXQ8b2TYcGi8LjU7nVrAJCIN9Jzj4OrAMB9HEODoQK53m0ph9FrUCHBuOsdkmoXTPa0tSiw1MyN8PLVkz0oRPQteKmY1Jq~b7bI9OTWk7lq2ANZ03It9NC8~ce8DX~KMQuqSa7PbLHokex~gnd4tv0OgGyEpDY8CE2mq5M0kRfpF81tNT9pW089~Hh2mtZkGT5k2blq8WlUSqWKmV2OeHXcbGW5DjweCYTj5YO1BHJsr-cBFCajMy4tOBkIMZN-VYTQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Ali Kelly, executive director of The Ray, told the House Economic Development & Tourism Committee that the nonprofit has used an 18‑mile I‑85 corridor in west Georgia to pilot infrastructure projects — from solar‑powered electric‑vehicle charging to connected‑vehicle striping and rubber‑modified pavement — and that the corridor work is intended to scale nationally.

Kelly said The Ray was founded after the 2015 General Assembly memorial designation of 18 miles of I‑85 as the Ray Anderson Memorial Highway, and that the nonprofit has leveraged partnerships with the Georgia Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to bring demonstration projects to the corridor.

\"We have leveraged our philanthropy to bring 14 infrastructure projects to that 18 mile corridor,\" Kelly said, describing projects that include the state’s early solar‑powered EV chargers, connected‑vehicle pilots, a rubber‑modified asphalt demonstration that improves stormwater handling and pollinator‑friendly right‑of‑way solar.

Why it matters: Kelly told the panel that interstate right‑of‑way offers public land, streamlined environmental processes in many cases, and fewer local land‑use conflicts than converting farmland or parks. She also argued that right‑of‑way projects could shorten transmission lead times from a decade‑plus to a few years, which she said matters to companies seeking reliable on‑site energy, resilience and new industrial development.

Key points from the presentation

- Early EV charging and pilots. The Ray installed one of the nation’s first solar‑assisted EV charging stations on interstate right‑of‑way and worked with lawmakers (House Bill 652 was cited in testimony) to secure an exemption from the state EV‑charging tax for that station because commercial transactions on interstate right‑of‑way are limited. Kelly said later pilot stations have used larger arrays, batteries and multiple high‑power ports.

- Right‑of‑way solar and pollinator plantings. Kelly described a project approved in 2016 and commercialized in 2020 on I‑85: a right‑of‑way solar array with pollinator‑friendly ground cover. She said GDOT now has a program to evaluate and approve right‑of‑way solar at multiple sites.

- Mapping and modeling tools. The Ray builds GIS‑based suitability maps for right‑of‑way parcels that account for solar radiation, tree cover, slope, visibility, state transportation improvement plans and other constraints, then generates 3‑D visualizations, estimates of generation and EV‑charging or battery capacity, and conflict screening to inform permitting and community outreach.

- Permitting and NEPA. Kelly said projects located within interstate fence lines can qualify for categorical exclusions under the National Environmental Policy Act, which can streamline federal environmental review. She also said federal guidance now prioritizes certain right‑of‑way uses such as solar, transmission and fiber when DOTs evaluate projects.

- Transmission and economic development linkage. Kelly argued that siting localized generation and transmission in right‑of‑way can serve adjacent industrial assets directly, reducing customer exposure to outages and supporting resilience for large facilities — a point the committee heard earlier in presentations about data centers and manufacturing.

Questions and follow‑up

Committee members asked about acreage and generation potential; Kelly said the Ray’s analysis identified more than 12,000 right‑of‑way acres in Georgia that are suitable for solar. Members also asked whether utilities prefer overhead or underground lines; Kelly said preferences vary by state and project, with some Southeast projects using overhead distribution.

Ending

The Ray said it has additional projects planned for the Ray Highway in 2025 and is continuing to provide mapping, modeling and technical assistance to DOTs, utilities and industrial partners. Committee members asked for and were offered follow‑up details and project materials; no vote or formal action was recorded.","The Ray told the committee that interstate right‑of‑way can host solar, EV charging and transmission build‑outs more quickly and with lower permitting and land costs than greenfield sites, and described modeling tools and pilot projects on I‑85 the nonprofit developed with GDOT and federal partners.","actionData","errors"]

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Utilities tell Economic Development & Tourism committee reliability, planning and customer-choice rules underpin statewide job growth

The Ray urges use of interstate right‑of‑way for solar, EV charging and faster transmission to support resilience and economic sites