A Georgia Power proposal that would allow one of the largest energy infrastructure projects in state history crossed a major regulatory hurdle on Wednesday. The Public Service Commission’s Public Interest Advocacy Staff division approved a Georgia Power stipulation agreement that would greenlight construction of enough new power plant facilities to generate an additional 10,000 megawatts of electricity in the coming years.
But concerns about backlash from voters over potentially higher energy bills could throw a wrench in the company’s plans.
Approval of the deal during the board’s Dec. 19 meeting at the PSC’s headquarters in Atlanta isn’t guaranteed, according to PSC spokesman Tom Krause.
The meeting is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m.
“They can approve the stipulation,” Krause told Capital B Atlanta over the phone on Wednesday. “They can [also] amend the stipulation and approve it as amended. Or they can reject the stipulation and come up with their own order that would resolve the docket.”
Black voters have expressed concerns about data center construction being concentrated in their communities. Some worry the massive computer server warehouses are causing their power bills to rise while also putting added strain on local water supplies, which are needed to keep them cool, in addition to noise pollution.
The PSC’s five-member regulatory body oversees utility company operations in Georgia, including energy rate pricing and construction of new power plants. Its decision on Georgia Power’s proposal could have major implications for Black Georgians, who are more likely to live in less energy efficient homes and often pay more for electricity as a result. It’s unclear whether the project will result in higher utility bills for Georgia Power’s estimated 2.7 million customers.
Brionté McCorkle is executive director of Georgia Conservation Voters, a progressive environmental advocacy group that does engagement work with Black and brown state residents who oppose Georgia Power rate hikes. She believes Georgia Power’s proposal will result in higher energy costs.
Georgia has the 10th-highest monthly electricity bills in America, according to a report released in November. PSC commissioners have faced criticism for approving six Georgia Power rate hikes since 2023. Those approvals resulted in residential customers paying about $516 more per year on their electric bill this year as a result, according to WABE.
In July, the PSC approved a three-year rate hike freeze for Georgia Power customers that the company said won’t be impacted by its new project proposal. But Georgia Power may raise rates next year to begin recouping major storm-related losses.
“Black people are already financially strained,” McCorkle told Capital B Atlanta on Tuesday. “Bills are going up on everything else, and this will make it worse.”
PSC staff have previously warned residential customers could eventually see monthly bills surge by $20 or more if Georgia Power’s full expansion was approved, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, but Georgia Power disputes this.
A representative from Georgia Power told Capital B Atlanta on Wednesday that data center providers will foot the bill for new construction, which will create “downward pressure” on pricing, resulting in typical residential customers saving $8.50 per month on their energy bill.
“It is the policy of the Public Service Commission to ensure that new data centers coming to Georgia will not affect existing rate payers and will be borne by the data centers that come,” Krause said.
The estimated cost of the proposal is $16 billion, according to records provided to the Security and Exchange Commission, but the actual cost could be much higher. Georgia Power’s goal is to provide enough energy for the state’s growing influx of data centers.
“The growth that we’re experiencing with data centers and with large-load customers is new, but it’s just like the advent of air conditioning,” Georgia Power spokesperson Jacob Hawkins said. “We have to build out and make sure that energy is reliable and that it’s affordable. We are not taking our eye off the ball on affordability.”
The concentration of data centers in Black communities and the higher cost of energy have become critical issues for low-income Black families, many of whom voted in November to oust two incumbent PSC commissioners — Republicans Fitz Johnson and Tim Echols. The pair lost their reelection bids in November to Democrats Alicia Johnson and Peter Hubbard, who ran campaigns largely centered on affordability. Hubbard was elected to fill the remainder of Johnson’s six-year term, which ends next December. He and Alicia Johnson won’t take office until January, weeks after their predecessors decide whether to approve Georgia Power’s plan.
Hubbard and Republican PSC incumbent Tricia Pridemore will be up for reelection in November 2026 during a pivotal midterm election cycle. Voters’ perception of the economy and concerns about the cost of living are expected to play a decisive role in next year’s races, which also will decide the state’s next governor and who sits in one of Georgia’s two U.S. Senate seats.
McCorkle said acting commissioners who support Georgia Power’s stipulation are giving voters “the middle finger.”
“It tells the Georgia voters, ‘We don’t care. Your vote doesn’t matter. We reject what you want. We’re going to do what we want anyway,’” she added.
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