
U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock is calling for a statewide moratorium on new data center construction in Georgia, saying large projects should not move forward until protections are in place for local residents.

U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock is calling for a statewide moratorium on new data center construction in Georgia, saying large projects should not move forward until protections are in place for local residents.

Georgia Power says a newly approved contract to provide electricity to OpenAI’s massive data center project in Effingham County will ultimately help lower costs for residential customers, but consumer and environmental advocates say significant questions remain about the unprecedented growth of data centers and how their costs will be tracked.

As data centers continue to expand across Georgia, Georgia Power is pushing back against what company officials describe as misinformation surrounding the massive facilities and their impact on residential electric customers.

Chattooga County Schools will operate on a two-hour delay today, Friday, August 21, due to a power outage affecting the Lyerly area.
The delay comes after thunderstorms moved through Northwest Georgia overnight, leaving multiple widespread power outages across Chattooga and Floyd counties.
Georgia Power is reporting numerous outages across the region this morning, with one of the largest outages affecting the Lyerly area.
The overnight storms brought heavy rain, lightning and gusty winds to portions of Northwest Georgia, resulting in power interruptions as residents began their Friday morning.
Because of the outage in Lyerly, Chattooga County School System officials made the decision to delay the start of school by two hours.
Parents, students and school employees should plan for school operations to begin two hours later than the normal Friday schedule.
Georgia Power crews are working to restore electricity to affected customers across Chattooga and Floyd counties.
Residents should use caution around any downed trees or power lines and should never approach or attempt to move a downed electrical line.
WZQZ News will continue to provide updates on the power outages and any additional schedule changes as information becomes available.

Georgia Northwestern Technical College’s Automation Technology program is helping prepare students for careers in the energy industry, including opportunities with Georgia Power.

With temperatures pushing into the upper 90s and heat index readings topping 100 degrees across Chattooga County and Northwest Georgia, air conditioners are working overtime — and many households are seeing the consequences when their electric bills arrive.

Hundreds of invited guests gathered this week at Plant Bowen in Northwest Georgia as Georgia Power officially broke ground on one of the largest electric generation expansion projects in the company’s history.

Georgia Power has announced a new Customer Protection Pledge, saying it is designed to keep electricity affordable while meeting the state’s rapidly growing demand for power from new industries, including data centers and manufacturers.

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.