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GA — Power Infrastructure Updated 2026-07-17

Georgia

SERC Nuclear Solar Storage Hydro Coal Data Center PPAs Queue Bottlenecks

1) Grid operator and market structure

2) Interconnection queue (status, wait times, reforms)

  • Generator queue depth (Georgia): SREA’s Fall 2025 update lists Solar 8.6 GW, Hybrid 6.1 GW, Standalone storage 8.4 GW, and Gas 17.9 GW in Georgia’s generator interconnection queue, while noting that the gas total is inflated by duplicate queue filings and that no wind projects were in the queue. Southern Renewable Energy Association, 2025-11-19.
  • Large-load pipeline is separate from generator queue: Generator queues track generation/storage, not data-center interconnection requests. Georgia Power and the PSC track large-load growth through large-load economic development reports, contracts, and IRP/certification dockets rather than a public load-interconnection queue. Georgia Power 2025 IRP, 2025-01; Georgia Power IRP page, accessed 2026-06-10.
  • Latest large-load commitment report: Georgia Power reported April 23 that 32 large-load customers had committed to approximately 15,600 MW of service and that 21 projects were under construction. This is a contract/commitment report rather than a public load queue, and its 15.6 GW total should not be equated directly with the lower, risk-adjusted load forecast used for generation planning. Georgia Power, 2026-04-23.
  • Data-center pipeline scale: Cleanview’s June 2026 project tracker counted 17 operating Georgia data centers with 1,021 MW of capacity and 83 planned projects with 9,231 MW of additional planned capacity. Treat this as a third-party project tracker, not an official interconnection queue. Cleanview, 2026-06.
  • Average wait times (national context): LBNL reports that projects built in 2023 had a median request-to-commercial-operation duration of about five years, underscoring why Georgia’s generator queue reforms and utility planning assumptions matter for data-center-driven load. LBNL Queued Up, accessed 2026-06-10.
  • Federal generator-interconnection reforms: FERC Order No. 2023 requires cluster studies, stricter readiness and site-control requirements, and new cost-allocation rules; Order 2023-A clarified implementation. FERC Order 2023 explainer, accessed 2026-06-10; FERC Order 2023-A explainer, accessed 2026-06-10.

3) Ratepayer protection (large-load tariffs / cost-allocation rules)

  • PSC docket context: Georgia Power’s 2025 IRP is PSC Docket No. 56002. The related supplemental-resource certification docket approved in late 2025 is central to data-center-driven resource additions. PSC Docket 56002 page, accessed 2026-06-10; Georgia Power 2025 IRP, 2025-01.
  • PSC data-center rules summarized in 2025: The PSC’s December 2025 fact sheet says the Commission required Georgia Power to ensure data-center revenues reduce, not increase, residential bills; file quarterly reports tracking new data centers; file cost-allocation studies; use minimum billing and longer contract terms for new large-load customers; and provide new data-center contracts to the PSC at least 30 days before execution. Georgia Public Service Commission Data Center Fact Sheet, 2025-12-01.
  • 2026 legislation did not codify additional protections: HB 1063 would have required electric utilities to protect residential and retail customers from data-center construction and operation costs; it passed the House on Feb. 17, 2026, was referred to the Senate Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee on Feb. 18, and died without enactment. LegiScan summary with Georgia source links, 2026 session; Capitol Beat/WABE, 2026-02-18; Georgia Senate Final Composite Status, 2026-05-14.
  • Fuel-cost proceeding (FCR-27): Georgia Power’s 2026 fuel-cost proceeding (Docket 56765) became a data-center cost-allocation venue because projected fuel costs rose with large commercial/industrial load. A hearing summary reported that Georgia Power had signed approximately 9,600 MW of large-load contracts as of the May 5-6, 2026 hearing and that 98% of roughly 36 million MWh of incremental test-period load growth was attributed to commercial and industrial customers, including data centers. Daily Energy Insider, 2026-05-08.
  • PSC approval of May 2026 fuel/storm settlement: On May 28, 2026 the PSC approved a stipulated agreement in Georgia Power’s fuel-cost and storm-cost cases that Georgia Power said would lower a typical residential bill by about $50 per year, or $4.04 per month, beginning June 1, with approximately $285 million in annual savings across customers. Georgia Power, 2026-05-28; GPB News, 2026-05-29.
  • Continuing dispute over cost allocation: SELC and other advocates argued in May 2026 that Georgia Power had not shown new data centers would pay their share of growing categories such as gas pipeline and fuel-hedging costs; GPB described the PSC-backed fuel deal as disputed because of those data-center cost concerns. SELC, 2026-05-09; GPB News, 2026-05-29.
  • July Real Time Pricing investigation: The PSC opened Docket 57171 on July 7 to examine whether Georgia Power’s Real Time Pricing methodology shifts fuel, firm-transportation, hedging, or related costs from large industrial customers to other rate classes. Staff issued sworn questions July 9, with initial responses due Aug. 10 and review targeted for completion by Dec. 31; staff had estimated the disputed treatment could raise average residential fuel costs by 5%-11% per month by 2028 and leave as much as $118 million of 2027 pipeline costs outside the RTP class. Georgia PSC Docket 57171, opened 2026-07-07; Georgia Recorder, 2026-07-07; GovTech, 2026-07-10.

4) Generation adequacy (major projects & resource additions)

  • Load-driven capacity need: The PSC’s December 2025 data-center fact sheet states that Georgia Power’s seven-year capacity need grew from 400 MW in 2022 to 6,600 MW in 2023 and 8,500 MW two years later, with data-center proliferation the stated driver. Georgia Public Service Commission Data Center Fact Sheet, 2025-12-01.
  • 2025 IRP load-growth forecast: Georgia Power’s 2025 IRP forecasted about 8,200 MW of load growth through winter 2030/2031, about 9,400 MW over ten years, and nearly 6,000 MW by winter 2028/2029. Georgia Power 2025 IRP, 2025-01.
  • December 2025 certification order / 2026 status: The PSC fact sheet states that the Dec. 19, 2025 agreement certified 9,885 MW of new generation, approximately 80% of which is expected to power data centers, with protections if projected data-center load does not appear. Georgia Public Service Commission Data Center Fact Sheet, 2025-12-01.
  • Reconsideration denied; judicial review pending: On Feb. 18 the PSC voted 3-2 against petitions to reconsider or decertify the expansion. On March 25, environmental and faith organizations petitioned Fulton County Superior Court for judicial review, alleging that the PSC approved the resources without the need determination required by state law; the petition records claims, not a merits ruling. FOX 5 Atlanta, 2026-02-23; SELC petition for review, filed 2026-03-25.
  • Contracting checkpoint: The PSC’s Spring 2026 newsletter says Georgia Power expects to have contracts in place by the end of 2026 to use all newly approved energy production, and that because some new projects are scheduled for 2029-2031, the Commission has time to alter or reverse certification if enough new data-center load does not materialize. Georgia Public Service Commission, Spring 2026.
  • Near-term capacity and storage procurement: Georgia Power’s approved 2025 IRP includes more than 2,065 MW of BESS and CT resources by the end of 2027, RFPs for up to 9,500 MW of capacity and more than 3,500 MW of renewables by 2030, and up to 4,000 MW of renewables by 2035. Georgia Power 2025 IRP, 2025-01; Georgia Power IRP page, accessed 2026-06-10.
  • 2032-33 procurement filing: On April 23 Georgia Power asked the PSC to approve final documents for an all-source RFP seeking 2,000-6,000 MW of additional dispatchable resources for 2032-33, including thermal generation, storage, and storage paired with renewables; it separately requested certification of 385 MW of solar. Selected RFP resources would return to the PSC for certification in mid-2027. Georgia Power, 2026-04-23.
  • Plant Wansley construction: Georgia Power marked the start of construction April 30 on two combined-cycle units totaling 1,453 MW and a 500 MW battery at the retired coal site. The utility projects the BESS in service in 2028 and gas units in 2029. Georgia Power, 2026-05-05.
  • Federal financing: On Feb. 25 the U.S. Department of Energy closed $26.5 billion in loans for Georgia Power and Alabama Power projects spanning more than 16 GW of new or upgraded gas, nuclear, hydro, and storage resources plus more than 1,300 miles of transmission/grid work. DOE says the package will reduce Southern Company’s interest expense by more than $300 million annually and customer costs by more than $7 billion over the loans’ terms; those savings are federal and company estimates. U.S. Department of Energy, 2026-02-25.
  • Gas unit upgrades (McIntosh): Plant McIntosh upgrades add 194 MW of NGCC and 74.4 MW of CT winter capacity with in-service dates from 2026-2032, requiring a PSC certificate amendment. Georgia Power 2025 IRP Attachment B, 2025-01.
  • Nuclear (Vogtle 3-4): Vogtle Unit 4 entered service on April 29, 2024; Unit 3 is operating in the SERC Southeast resource mix. SERC 2024-25 Winter Reliability Assessment, 2025-11.
  • Battery storage projects: The IRP documents 80 MW of storage demonstrations, including 65 MW Mossy Branch, which reached commercial operation in October 2024, and a 13 MW Fort Stewart BESS under negotiation with potential additional 30 MW at Fort Stewart. Georgia Power 2025 IRP, 2025-01.

5) Utility load forecasts (data-center-driven load growth)

6) Behind-the-meter / co-location / direct procurement

  • Utility-owned co-location (DCL-1): DCL-1 allows Georgia Power-owned dispatchable DER of at least 10 MW at customer premises, interconnected to the grid and dispatched for system needs while providing customer resiliency. Georgia Power 2025 IRP, 2025-01; Georgia Power DCL-1 tariff, 2024.
  • Customer-owned DER (DCO-1): DCO-1 permits customer-owned dispatchable DER at customer premises, controlled by Georgia Power with bill credits tied to value; DER interconnection allows delivery to the grid. Georgia Power 2025 IRP, 2025-01.
  • BTM eligibility and program details: Georgia Power’s resiliency page provides DCL-1/DCO-1 eligibility thresholds and details for RAS-1/DRC-1 programs relevant to data-center backup and resiliency strategies. Georgia Power resiliency programs, accessed 2026-06-10.
  • Hybrid-power proposal failed: HB 1323 would have required new data centers to operate as hybrid power data centers and obtain PSC certification, but it died in the House after second reading. LegiScan summary with Georgia source links, 2026 session; Georgia House Final Composite Status, 2026-05-14.
  • First large pop-up-power enforcement case: VoltaGrid proposed 33 gas engines, described in its air-permit application as approximately 90 MW of rapidly deployable prime power, for the adjacent Serverfarm ATL2 campus in Covington. After a June 29 inspection, Georgia EPD issued July 2 notices stating that VoltaGrid and Serverfarm had begun generator construction before receiving required air permits and directed work to stop pending review; the notices are enforcement allegations, not final adjudications. Georgia Public Broadcasting, 2026-07-07; Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 2026-07-08.

7) Transmission constraints & planned upgrades

  • 10-year transmission plan: The approved 2025 IRP includes a 10-year transmission plan with more than 1,000 miles of new transmission lines and a formal process for grid-enhancing technologies. Georgia Power IRP page, accessed 2026-06-10.
  • Strategic transmission upgrades: The IRP lists strategic transmission projects to improve power transfer from South Georgia to North Georgia and prepare for fleet transitions. Georgia Power 2025 IRP, 2025-01.
  • Transmission reliability constraints (SERC Southeast): SERC finds no transmission adequacy concerns under normal conditions, but contingency analysis shows potential thermal overloads in SERC Southeast that can require operating guides, redispatch, or outage management. SERC 2024-25 Winter Reliability Assessment, 2025-11.
  • Project-specific transmission impacts: For McIntosh upgrades, Georgia Power notes that NGCC upgrades require advancing two previously planned transmission projects, with transmission costs evaluated in the certificate amendment. Georgia Power 2025 IRP Attachment B, 2025-01.
  • Ashley Park-Wansley corridor: Georgia Power is developing a 35-mile, 500 kV line from its Ashley Park substation in Fayette County to Plant Wansley in Heard County, crossing Fulton and Coweta counties; public meetings continued in March 2026. The utility describes the line as system-wide grid expansion rather than a dedicated customer line, while residents have opposed easement acquisition and linked it to data-center growth. Georgia Power project page, accessed 2026-07-17; New York Post, 2026-05-21.

8) Water, stormwater, and environmental energy-adjacent issues

  • QTS Fayetteville water billing/use dispute: Fayette County’s May 13, 2026 release said a 2025 letter about QTS was unclear and characterized the issue as construction water use, administrative billing issues, and a higher construction-water rate; QTS says the Fayetteville campus will use closed-loop cooling and no water for cooling once operational. Fayette County, 2026-05-13; QTS Fayetteville, accessed 2026-06-10.
  • Reported unbilled construction water: Multiple outlets reported that QTS paid $147,474 in retroactive charges for more than 29 million gallons of previously unbilled construction water after county water-account problems were identified. Planetizen, 2026-05-16; KCRG, 2026-05-11.
  • Clean Water Act notice: Flint Riverkeeper and nearby residents filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue over alleged sediment-laden stormwater and pollutant discharges from the QTS Fayetteville site; the notice is an allegation and not a court finding. 11Alive, 2026-06-05.
  • Covington air permitting: Serverfarm received an air permit June 29 for 37 diesel emergency generators, but EPD’s July 2 notice said generator construction had begun before permit issuance. VoltaGrid’s separate permit for 33 gas engines remained pending, and EPD ordered it to stop unpermitted construction. Georgia EPD Serverfarm permit, issued 2026-06-29; WABE, 2026-07-07; Atlanta News First, 2026-07-10.

Gaps / items to verify (public data limits)