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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) has partnered with Georgia Power to offer a new Electrical Lineworker Program at the college’s Polk County Campus in Rockmart, providing hands-on training for those seeking entry-level careers in the power industry.
As a severe winter storm threatens parts of Georgia with the potential for destructive ice and snow, both Georgia Power and North Georgia EMC (NGEMC) have announced temporary suspensions of service disconnections to help keep customers safe during the event.
Georgia Power customers may see some relief on their monthly electric bills later this year. The company’s president and CEO, Kim Greene, said this week that Georgia Power plans to file upcoming changes that would lower rates starting in June 2026.
The Georgia Public Service Commission voted unanimously this past Friday (Dec. 19) to approve Georgia Power’s request to acquire nearly 10 gigawatts of new energy capacity—a major expansion the utility says it needs to meet projected electricity demand from data centers in coming years. The vote was taken before two new Democratic Public Service Commissioners take office next month, a timing critics say is hard to ignore.
State Sen. Chuck Hufstetler, R-Rome, is continuing his push to protect Georgia residents from cost increases as the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) prepares to vote on an agreement that could allow Georgia Power to add nearly 10 gigawatts of new generation by 2031.
