Public Service Commission warns of rapid load growth from data centers, asks for construction monitoring staff
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Summary
PSC staff told the subcommittee that revised load projections tied to data-center growth may require substantial infrastructure and requested funding for an engineer and financial analyst to monitor Georgia Power construction projects, totaling about $272,000.
Reese McAllister, speaking for the Public Service Commission staff, told the House Appropriations Subcommittee that the state is seeing materially larger electricity load projections than earlier forecasts, in part driven by data-center expansion.
McAllister said prior forecasts showed modest growth but more recent analyses suggest a significantly higher need — he cited low-growth estimates that have moved from hundreds of megawatts to as much as roughly 10,000 megawatts in current projections — and warned that Georgia Power is already planning new generation and transmission to meet that demand. The PSC speaker clarified the commission does not approve data-center siting but must ensure Georgia Power’s investments are prudent and protections are in place to prevent cross-subsidization among ratepayers.
To support oversight of planned utility construction, McAllister requested two positions to monitor construction and financial prudence: an engineer (salary and true-up to ~$145,000 after fringe) and a financial analyst (true-up to ~$127,500) for a combined request of approximately $272,000 to fund both positions. He said the PSC currently is short-staffed for construction monitoring and that qualified monitors take time to train.
Committee members asked about filling pipeline-inspector positions and retention; McAllister said the commission had filled those roles but is monitoring workforce needs and may request additional monitors in future budget cycles. The subcommittee did not take immediate action on the request.