Groups Challenge PSC’s Approval of Massive Georgia Power Gas Expansion - CleanTechnica

Environmental and faith groups have filed a petition in Fulton County Superior Court challenging the Georgia Public Service Commission’s (PSC) December approval of Georgia Power’s plan to add 10 gigawatts (GW) of new energy generation capacity. The petition, filed by the Southern Environmental Law Center on behalf of Georgia Interfaith Power & Light, Park Avenue Baptist Church, Unitarian Universalist Church of Savannah, and the Sierra Club among others, argues that the PSC failed to demonstrate a need for such a large and costly expansion, which would be paid for by customers. The groups highlight that Georgia Power’s own modeling shows the new gas units, including one of the most expensive in the country at Plant McIntosh, are unnecessary to meet demand growth, which the utility largely attributes to data center expansion. The petition contends that the PSC ignored legal requirements designed to protect the public from overbuilding and excessive utility costs, effectively allowing Georgia Power to profit from risky investments while customers bear the financial burden. The petitioners