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

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

- Loa…