Georgia regulators on Friday unanimously gave the state’s dominant electric utility approval for an historic expansion of its power fleet, most of it fueled by natural gas and aimed at meeting data center demand.
The Public Service Commission approval for almost 10 gigawatts of new generation — roughly equivalent to all the power plants in Maryland — was part of a stipulation agreement last week between Georgia Power and commission staff.
The vote came over objections from environmental groups and members of the public who urged the PSC not to approve the entire package of new power plants proposed by Georgia Power, a unit of Southern Co., citing uncertainty over whether all of the new demand will materialize.
Other opponents urged the PSC to postpone a vote until new members of the commission are sworn in next month. Georgia voters on Nov. 6 ousted two incumbent Republican commissioners, an outcome widely attributed to public frustration with rising utility bills.
