Georgia has a new tool to help meet surging power demand from energy-guzzling data centers — and it involves adding a lot of clean power to the electric grid.
Utility regulators in the state unanimously approved a program this month that will allow large power customers to identify and fund their own clean energy projects — a first in the Southeast. The framework, called the Customer Identified Resource program, could secure up to 3 gigawatts of clean energy by 2035. That’s enough to power 2 million to 3 million American homes or several large data centers.
Supporters say the program could serve as a model for other states that need more flexibility to handle soaring electricity demand but have historically run into obstacles when dealing with one dominant utility that controls all stages of electricity supply. Such utilities — including Georgia Power, the state’s largest utility — are common in the Southeast.
The Georgia Public Service Commission’s approval follows years of work by the Corporate Energy Buyers Association, a trade group whose members — which include Google, Amazon, Meta and Microsoft — want access to more carbon-free energy.
