Georgia Public Service Commission Bats Away Request To Delay Vote On Power Grid Expansion

The Georgia Public Service Commission refused a request to delay its final vote on a large expansion of the state’s electrical grid until after two newly elected Democrats join the commission. 

The move comes after the Sierra Club and the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy filed a motion Nov. 12 asking to pause the commission’s vote on a $15B, nearly 10-gigawatt expansion of the state’s power grid by 2030.

The PSC is scheduled to hold a final vote on the project Dec. 19. The two groups asked for all proceedings to be delayed by 30 days and for the final vote to take place Jan. 20.

The two advocacy groups argued, among other things, that the delay would allow Commissioners-elect Alicia Johnson and Peter Hubbard to have their say.

Johnson and Hubbard will assume their posts on the commission Jan. 1.

In its denial decision Friday, the commission said neither organization raised concerns about the timing of the vote when they first intervened in August about the plans.

The commission also argued that the new commissioners hadn’t been privy to the first rounds of hearings. 

“Changing commissioners after much of the testimony has already been heard is not conducive to good decision-making,” the PSC wrote.

Stephen Smith, the executive director of SACE, said Johnson’s and Hubbard’s victories, each with more than 60% of the vote in their race, mean they come in with a clear mandate from Georgia ratepayers for change.

“The fact that this vote was so overwhelming indicates that there is a desire to have a new perspective on the commission,” Smith said. “We think this is another indication that the existing commission is largely tone-deaf to the consumers they’re supposed to protect.”

A spokesperson for the PSC declined to comment beyond what was in the filing. 

The PSC election gained national attention, in part because it was the first statewide win for Democrats for a nonfederal office in Georgia since 2006. Johnson and Hubbard will join a five-person commission that has long been held by Republicans.

Earlier this year, Georgia Power Co. approached the PSC to expand the state’s power grid by nearly 10 GW in response to the surge in data center demand that has hit the state over the past year.

Total data center capacity in Georgia has skyrocketed from more than 1,600 megawatts in 2021 to more than 19,600 MW this year. Data center capacity nearly tripled in 2024 alone. 

Because of this continuing expansion, Georgia Power projected that total regional power demand will triple by the mid-2030s.

Advocates for the expansion say its cost would largely be paid for by data center developers and operators.

Under new rules passed earlier this year, the commission is allowed to charge data center operators the costs of servicing them with electricity. They will also be on the hook for the cost of oversight of new data center contracts, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

But many opponents are skeptical, especially since Georgia's projected demand for power is based on speculative data center growth. 

“If data center load materializes at a slower rate than expected, it will bring significant financial burdens for Georgia Power's ratepayers, who risk being on the hook for infrastructure,” Sierra Club and SACE said in their Nov. 12 filing. 

A Georgia Power spokesperson said the organizations’ motion had no merit, however. 

“The time allowed for these proceedings is appropriate and based on an approved schedule set by the Georgia PSC,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “Delaying these proceedings could harm our ability to procure new resources to serve customers, meet demand and keep energy reliable in Georgia.”

Sierra Club staff attorney Isabella Ariza said in an email that the organization wishes the PSC had taken more time to ensure the decision to vastly expand the power grid reflected the will of Georgia voters.

“We're disappointed that the Commission was not willing to allow newly elected commissioners to hear the remainder of the case, which will have impacts on ratepayers and the environment for decades to come,” Ariza said.