PSC Greenlights Georgia Power Plan to Expand Coal, Gas, Nuclear, and Grid Infrastructure

The Georgia Public Service (PSC) Commission has unanimously approved Georgia Power’s 2025 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), authorizing a massive energy expansion to accommodate what the utility calls “extraordinary” growth in electricity demand.

The PSC’s approval on July 15 allows the Southern Co. subsidiary to proceed with major capacity extensions at its flagship coal, gas, and nuclear facilities, new procurement for renewables and battery storage, and more than 1,000 miles of new transmission development.

As POWER has reported, the utility filed its 2025 IRP with the Georgia regulator on Jan. 31, 2025, seeking to strategically shift its approach to manage its supply and demand profile. Over the next six years, Georgia Power projects about 8.5 GW of load growth—an increase of about 2.6 GW in peak demand by the end of 2030, when compared to its 2023 IRP Update. In February, notably, Georgia Power reported it was expecting 8.2 GW in load growth by the end of 2030, which indicates its projections have grown 300 MW over the past half year.

The regulator’s vote “follows months of filings, hearings and testimony, and hours of public discussion” around the January-submitted long-term energy plan, the utility said. Earlier this month, the PSC approved a plan to keep Georgia Power base rates frozen through at least the end of 2028. According to the utility, the rate stability resulted from a stipulated agreement reached between Georgia Power and PSC Public Interest Advocacy Staff in May and will ensure that costs associated with extraordinary load growth and grid investments are balanced with protections for existing customers. The company noted that separate proceedings will address storm recovery and rebuilding costs.

Agreement Greenlights Major Upgrades Across Coal, Gas, Nuclear, and Grid Infrastructure

Last week, the PSC’s Public Interest Advocacy staff, Georgia Power, and a broad coalition of intervenors—including the U.S. Department of Defense, the Georgia Association of Manufacturers, the Georgia Solar Energy Industries Association, Southern Renewable Energy Association, Advanced Power Alliance, Capital Good Fund, and Walmart—reached a comprehensive stipulated agreement that resolves all outstanding issues in both the 2025 Integrated Resource Plan and related demand side management proceedings.

The agreement establishes Georgia Power’s resource strategy through 2035, approving the extension of operations at Plant Scherer Unit 3 (a 648-MW coal unit) and Plant Gaston Units 1–4 and A (566 MW of combined oil and gas capacity) beyond December 31, 2028. Notably, it also authorizes incremental nuclear capacity uprates at Plant Vogtle Units 1–2, while permitting preliminary planning, licensing, and engineering for potential uprates at Plant Hatch Units 1–2 (but does not grant full approval at this time).

Gas infrastructure upgrades include the certificate amendment for capacity additions at McIntosh Units 10–11 and 1A–8A, consistent with Georgia Power’s IRP (totaling approximately 268 MW in upgrades at that site by 2032). In addition, the agreement further approves procurement of up to 1,000 MW of new utility-scale renewable energy for the system and up to 3,000 MW through customer subscription programs, with explicit carryover of unfilled MW to future RFPs. Major strategic transmission projects, particularly those aimed at supporting load shifts from South to North Georgia and enhancing grid reliability, will also receive ongoing support and oversight.

That demand is “largely driven by the anticipated growth from only one customer class for which there is a lack of historic information,” the agreement notes, referring to the utility’s 22.8-GW pipeline of commercial and industrial projects outlined in its IRP. Georgia Power cited around-the-clock energy use from new large loads—including Hyundai’s EV Metaplant and the SK Battery facility—as key drivers behind a 7% annual load growth rate through 2031. To improve oversight, the agreement mandates quarterly filings on large-load developments, semi-annual transmission updates to PSC staff, and collaborative refinements to the load forecast methodology.

New Programs Aim to Balance Load Growth With Affordability and Clean Energy Expansion

Georgia Power on Tuesday said the plan will enable continued investment in existing power plants, modernization of the state’s hydroelectric fleet, and expansion of its renewable and battery storage portfolio, which it envisions will bring total renewable capacity to 11,000 MW and add more than 1,500 MW of battery storage by 2035. The utility also highlighted more than 1,000 miles of new transmission projects to support grid reliability and resilience, and noted that select coal units—such as at Plants Bowen and Scherer—will begin co-firing with natural gas to maintain compliance with federal emissions rules.

The utility’s new customer-facing programs include a solar-plus-storage option for residential and small commercial customers, a distributed energy resource–enabled demand response program for large customers, and an electric transportation pilot in partnership with public schools to explore how idle EV batteries can support the grid. The IRP also expands demand-side resources targeted at affordability, including continued support for the Energy Assistance for Savings and Efficiency (EASE) and HopeWorks programs, and introduces a new online residential energy audit tool and a dedicated team of energy experts to help customers understand and manage energy use.

“As our state continues to grow and thrive, the approval of this comprehensive plan helps to ensure we have the resources and programs we need to reliably and economically meet the future energy needs of our customers,” said Kim Greene, chairman, president and CEO of Georgia Power. “The IRP is an incredibly complex and detailed process that brings together people from many backgrounds who are vested in our state’s energy future. I’m grateful to everyone who helped develop this plan and participated in the process over the last six months, and to the Georgia PSC for its careful consideration and approval of a strategy that will help us deliver the energy Georgians need and deserve.”

—Sonal Patel is a POWER senior editor (@sonalcpatel, @POWERmagazine).