Georgia Power, PSC staff reach agreement on request for more generating capacity

benefits all customers, and approval of this agreement will preserve and protect the reliability and quality of electric service our customers expect and support the continued economic development of our state … all while placing downward pressure on rates for all customers.”

Georgia Power submitted a request to the PSC last October for additional capacity to handle a growing demand for electricity.

Abramovitz said Wednesday the company has received commitments for an additional 2,600 megawatts of power from 11 largeload customers. A megawatt is enough electricity to power about 750 homes. The Georgia Association of Manufacturers is a party to the agreement, along with Georgia Power and the PSC’s Public Interest Advocacy Staff.

“This clearly indicates that these customers are coming, that significant load will materialize, and that the need to serve that load will occur sooner rather than later,” Abramovitz testified.

Besides the new gas turbines, Georgia Power’s plan to add generating capacity also includes power purchasing agreements with Mississippi Power — a sister company of Georgia Power — and Florida-based Santa Rosa Energy Center LLC, all involving natural gas.

Georgia Power also is proposing an expansion of its battery energy storage capacity and new and expanded distributed energy resources, such as rooftop solar, and demand response initiatives in which customers voluntarily agree to reduce energy use during periods of peak demand.

While the utility requested to develop, own, and operate 1,000 megawatts of battery energy storage, the agreement reduced that amount to 500 megawatts, including projects at Robins Air Force Base near Warner Robins and Moody Air Force Base near Valdosta.

Georgia Power agreed to issue a request for proposals on an expedited schedule to obtain the other 500 megawatts of battery energy storage.