The Walker County Board of Commissioners has approved a temporary moratorium on new data center development, giving county officials time to study the issue and determine whether additional local regulations are needed before such facilities are considered.
The Georgia Public Service Commission has voted to move forward with an investigation into whether Georgia Power’s largest electricity customers—including data centers—are paying their fair share of fuel costs or shifting those expenses onto residential and small business customers.
Governor Brian Kemp recently met privately with executives from OpenAI and Georgia Power as state leaders continue exploring Georgia’s role in the rapidly expanding artificial intelligence industry. According to documents obtained through the Georgia Open Records Act, the meeting took place on June 11 at the State Capitol, although neither the Governor’s Office nor OpenAI disclosed what was discussed.
The Walker County Board of Commissioners will consider several significant items during its regular meeting Thursday, July 9, including a proposed temporary moratorium on data centers, the Fiscal Year 2027 budget, updates to the county’s land development regulations, and several major spending requests. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Walker County Courthouse Annex IV in LaFayette.
Georgia Power customers are seeing a small reduction in their electric bills this month, but consumer advocates and energy experts say larger cost concerns may still be on the horizon.
Georgia Power has broken ground on a new power plant project aimed at supporting the growing demand from data centers across the state.
The expansion is part of a much larger plan to increase energy production as Georgia continues to attract major technology companies and large-scale data operations. Officials say the new facility will help ensure reliable power as demand continues to rise.
State regulators have already approved a major increase in power generation capacity—nearly 10,000 megawatts—to meet that demand, much of it driven by the rapid growth of data centers.
Georgia Power says the investment is critical to maintaining economic growth and keeping up with the needs of businesses moving into the state. However, some critics have raised concerns about long-term costs and the environmental impact, especially with plans that include new natural gas-powered facilities.
The project is one of several underway as utilities work to balance reliability, affordability, and future energy needs in a rapidly growing region.
State Rep. Eddie Lumsden (R-Armuchee), who represents all of Chattooga County and part of Floyd County, says the Georgia House has passed the halfway point of the 2026 legislative session after completing Legislative Day 22. Lawmakers returned to the Capitol following the President’s Day holiday and moved several bills forward during a busy week.
Lumsden highlighted passage of House Bill 1063, which would prevent electric utilities from shifting certain costs tied to large data centers onto residential and small business customers, while codifying Public Service Commission cost-allocation rules into state law. He noted Georgia’s rapid data center growth is driving increased energy demand statewide.
The House also approved legislation to increase access to naloxone on college and technical campuses, expand protections for foster placement caregivers, support autism screenings for children in foster care, strengthen student-athlete health requirements, and improve roadside safety during traffic stops as work continues toward Crossover Day.
See Rep. Lumsden’s complete report below:
A Georgia Senate committee has rewritten legislation meant to protect consumers from higher electricity costs tied to the state’s fast-growing data center industry, advancing a version that supporters say is less explicit about shielding residential customers. The Senate Regulated Industries Committee approved the revamped proposal after rejecting language that would have clearly barred utilities from passing certain data center-related costs onto regular ratepayers.
Republican Georgia Public Service Commission incumbent Tricia Pridemore announced Tuesday that she will not seek reelection this year, a move that adds fresh uncertainty to the balance of power on the five-member panel that regulates monopoly utilities such as Georgia Power.
State Senator Chuck Hufstetler, a Republican from Rome, says lawmakers are taking a closer look at the rapid growth of data centers across Georgia, calling it one of the most pressing economic and infrastructure issues facing the state.
