#georgiapower | AM 1180 Radio

May 2, 2026

Georgia Power Breaks Ground on New Plant to Support Data Centers

Local News, Local News Items #DataCenters, #EconomicDevelopment, #Energy, #georgianews, #georgiapower, #Infrastructure, #northwestgeorgia, #PowerPlant, #statenews, #UtilityNews, #wzqznews 0

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.

April 27, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

Georgia Power Promotes Income-Based Energy Discount Program

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Georgia Power is encouraging eligible customers to apply for its Income-Qualified Discount program, which is designed to help lower monthly energy bills for households that meet income and program requirements.

April 20, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

Georgia Power Bills Strain Families as Summer Heat Approaches

Local News, Local News Items #chattoogacounty, #CostOfLiving, #ElectricBills, #EnergyCosts, #EnergySavings, #FinancialStrain, #georgiapower, #georgiaweather, #Inflation, #LocalNews, #northwestgeorgia, #PowerBills, #RisingCosts, #StayCool, #SummerHeat, #UtilityBills, #wzqznews 0

As temperatures begin to climb across Northwest Georgia, many residents are bracing for another season of high Georgia Power bills — and for some families, the financial strain is already being felt.

March 15, 2026

by WZQZ NEWS

Georgia Power Seeks Nearly $912 Million From Customers For Storm Recovery Costs

Local News, Local News Items #ClimateCosts, #ConsumerAdvocacy, #ConsumerNews, #ElectricBills, #ElectricRateHike, #EnergyCosts, #EnergyNews, #GeorgiaConsumers, #georgianews, #georgiapower, #georgiapsc, #GeorgiaPublicServiceCommission, #georgiaweather, #HouseholdExpenses, #HurricaneHelene, #northwestgeorgia, #PowerBills, #PublicUtilities, #RateIncrease, #RisingCosts, #statenews, #StormDamage, #StormRecoveryCosts, #UtilityBills, #UtilityRates, #wzqznews 0

Georgia Power is asking state regulators to approve a plan that would charge customers $912 million over the next four years to recover costs tied to Hurricane Helene and other major storms. The proposal, filed with the Georgia Public Service Commission, would add about $4.42 per month to the typical residential bill based on 1,000 kilowatt-hours of usage, with higher-use households likely paying more.

February 27, 2026

by WZQZ NEWS

Rep. Lumsden Highlights Data Center Protections, Campus Safety and Foster Care Reforms as Session Passes Midpoint

Local News, Local News Items #AutismScreening, #CampusSafety, #chattoogacounty, #ConsumerProtection, #DataCenters, #eddielumsden, #EnergyPolicy, #FloydCounty, #FosterCare, #georgiahouse, #GeorgiaLegislature, #georgiapolitics, #georgiapower, #HB1063, #Naloxone, #northwestgeorgia, #RoadSafety, #StudentAthleteSafety, #wzqznews 0

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:

February 27, 2026

by WZQZ NEWS

Senate Panel Rewrites Data Center Power Cost Bill as Northwest Georgia Families Worry About High Electric Bills

Local News, Local News Items #chattoogacounty, #ConsumerProtection, #CostOfLiving, #DataCenters, #EconomicDevelopment, #ElectricBills, #ElectricityRates, #EnergyPolicy, #GeorgiaLegislature, #georgiapower, #Infrastructure, #LocalConcerns, #northwestgeorgia, #PowerBills, #PublicServiceCommission, #summervillega, #trionga, #UtilityRates, #wzqznews 0

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.

February 24, 2026

by WZQZ NEWS

Georgia Power to Hold Public Meeting on Plant Hammond Groundwater Plan March 24

Local News, Local News Items #CCR, #CoalAsh, #CommunityInput, #EnvironmentalRemediation, #EnvironmentalUpdate, #floydcountyga, #GAEPD, #georgiapower, #Groundwater, #northwestgeorgia, #PlantHammond, #publicmeeting, #RomeFloydECOCenter, #RomeGA, #wzqznews 0

Georgia Power will hold a public meeting on March 24 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Rome-Floyd E.C.O. Center, 393 Riverside Parkway, to share details and gather community input on its proposed groundwater remediation plan for Plant Hammond ash ponds 1 and 2.

February 21, 2026

by WZQZ NEWS

PSC Commissioner Tricia Pridemore Won’t Seek Reelection, Weighs Possible Run for Congress

Local News, Local News Items #10GigawattExpansion, #AliciaJohnson, #BarryLoudermilk, #CapitolBeatNewsService, #CongressRun, #CostOfLiving, #DataCenters, #ElectricRates, #EnergyDemand, #FitzJohnson, #FloydCountyGeorgia, #GeorgiaElections, #georgiapolitics, #georgiapower, #GeorgiaPressAssociation, #georgiapsc, #GeorgiaPublicServiceCommission, #GridExpansion, #northwestgeorgia, #PeterHubbard, #PSCCommissioners, #StatewideElections, #TimEchols, #TriciaPridemore, #USHouseRace, #UtilityRegulation, #wzqznews 0

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.

February 20, 2026

by WZQZ NEWS

Georgia Power Promises Lower Rates, But Critics and Local Residents Say Bills Tell a Different Story

Local News, Local News Items #chattoogacounty, #ConsumerAdvocates, #ElectricBills, #EnergyCosts, #FuelCostRecovery, #georgiapower, #georgiapsc, #LocalImpact, #northwestgeorgia, #PowerRates, #PublicUtilities, #RateHikeConcerns, #StormCostRecovery, #UtilityRates, #wzqznews 0

Georgia Power has filed its expected Fuel Cost Recovery and Storm Cost Recovery cases with the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC), saying the combined filings could result in slightly lower electric rates for customers beginning this summer. However, critics and many local residents across Northwest Georgia say that promise rings hollow as power bills continue to climb dramatically.

February 13, 2026

by WZQZ NEWS

Rising Georgia Power Bills Spark Frustration in Chattooga County as PSC Makeup Shifts

Local News, Local News Items #AliciaJohnson, #chattoogacounty, #CommunityImpact, #CostOfLiving, #ElectricRates, #EnergyBurden, #FixedIncome, #georgianews, #georgiapower, #georgiapsc, #LIHEAP, #LowIncomeFamilies, #lyerlyga, #MenloGA, #northwestgeorgia, #PeterHubbard, #PowerBills, #PublicServiceCommission, #RateIncreases, #summervillega, #trionga, #UtilityCosts, #wzqznews 0

Across Chattooga County and Northwest Georgia, many residents say steadily rising Georgia Power bills are placing increased pressure on household budgets, particularly for low- to moderate-income families and seniors on fixed incomes.