Georgia utilities tell committee they are prepared for data‑center surge, point to planning and new contract rules

Leaders from the Public Service Commission and major Georgia utilities told the House Economic Development Committee that the state has the planning and regulatory tools to meet unprecedented electricity demand driven largely by data centers while preserving reliability for residents.

Chairman Jason Shaw, chairman of the Georgia Public Service Commission, told the committee the commission’s primary focus is reliability. “That’s our focus is reliability,” Shaw said, and he pointed lawmakers to the commission’s Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) process as the core long‑range planning tool that guides generation and transmission decisions.

The discussion matters because utilities and economic developers reported rapid load growth over the last two years. Shaw said the Georgia Power system was “a little under 17,000 megawatts” before the recent rush and that the pipeline of proposed projects rose from roughly 16,000 megawatts in 2023 to “about 40,000 megawatts” today, with the commission and utilities planning for a portion of that — “if, let’s say, 8,000 or so of those megawatts … actually hit on the Georgia Power System,” Shaw said.

Shaw described regulatory steps aimed at protecting existing customers. He said the PSC adopted rules requiring very large customers — those over a 100 megawatts — to pay the full up‑front costs to connect, including generation, transmission and distribution, and to accept “much longer” contract terms: “Historically, these customers were on 3 and 5 year type contracts. Now we’re doing 15 year contracts,” he said. The commission is also conducting the statutorily required IRP review; Georgia Power files the plan every three years and the PSC expected a final vote on its current IRP in July, Shaw said.

Speakers emphasized that the state’s competitive structure — customer choice and an integrated transmission system — supports economic development while avoiding duplicative infrastructure. Jason Bragg, vice president of government relations for Georgia EMC, explained the Territorial Electric Service Act of 1973, which divides the state into service territories and includes a “large‑load customer choice” provision for loads above 900 kilowatts that gives new large customers a one‑time choice of provider at initial connection. Bragg said that arrangement gives Georgia a competitive advantage in recruiting energy‑intensive industry.

Charlie Mosley, director of statewide economic development for Georgia Power, echoed the cooperation theme and said utilities cooperate on front‑end recruitment while competing on the back end. Mosley said most of Georgia Power’s economic pipeline remains traditional industrial and office projects — “75 to 80% of my team’s project pipeline is in those traditional sort of industrial and office projects,” he said — even as data centers attract attention.

Electric Cities of Georgia and Georgia EMC representatives described tools they use to assist communities: site inventories, GIS and 3‑D visualizations, workforce data, and coordinated outreach with the Department of Economic Development. Jason Bragg said Georgia EMCs serve about 4,400,000 Georgians across 41 cooperatives, and that Oglethorpe Power and other wholesale partners are investing in generation to meet future demand; Bragg cited two new generation projects in Monroe and Talbot counties with a combined investment he described as about $2,100,000,000.

Committee members asked about regional interconnections. Jason Bragg confirmed the state has drawn power from neighboring regions in the past and that the integrated transmission system allows transfers, but said he would supply the committee with a definitive technical response.

The presentations also covered natural gas infrastructure: Shaw and utility speakers said efforts including an economic development tariff and universal service fund have helped extend natural gas to rural areas. Shaw said the PSC’s universal service fund draws from excess profits of an Atlanta Gas Light subsidiary and that “right now approximately about $70,000,000” is available for projects, while there are many more projects in need of funding.

Clarity on rates and fuel mix came from Shaw: he cited a Georgia Power system fuel mix on the system he referenced of about 41% natural gas, 14% nuclear, 18% coal and 20% renewables, and he highlighted the completion of Vogtle units 3 and 4 as a long‑term resource.

Ending: Committee staff said presentations and slides would be circulated to members. The committee’s schedule includes another meeting later this week focused on regional economic developers and local chambers.