Georgia Power's new plan for generating electricity pushes burning coal into the state's future

Caption

Freight trains encircle, and earth moving equipment dots, the massive coal yard in front of Georgia Power's Plant Scherer in 2019.

Credit: Grant Blankenship/GPB News

Georgia Power’s newly filed first draft of its next plan for generating electricity in the coming decades describes how explosive business growth in the state could mean further delays in ending the use of climate-warming coal-fired power. 

By law, Georgia Power must get its Integrated Resource Plan, or IRP,  for generating electricity approved by the state’s Public Service Commission.

In the previous IRP, approved in 2022, the utility said it would retire coal-fired Plant Bowen and Plant Scherer by 2028. That was before massive industrial growth in manufacturing jobs for electric vehicles and solar panels (largely fueled by spending through the federal Inflation Reduction Act) and in the spread of power-ravenous internet data centers which Georgia has incentivized on its own through generous tax breaks. 

Those industries are what underpin Georgia Power’s estimate in its 2025 IRP that they will need an additional 8,200 megawatts of generation capacity over the next six years. That’s 2,200 MW more than the company laid out in its 2023 amendment to the 2022 plan, an amendment already inspired largely by the growth of data centers. The new capacity estimate has already drawn skepticism and criticism from environmental advocates. 

“This IRP is gamesmanship at its worst. By asking for far more generation than is needed, Georgia Power & the Georgia Public Service Commission will end hearings by accepting less than requested, allowing everyone to claim a win for an expensive plan that is unreasonable,” said Brionté McCorkle, executive director of Georgia Conservation Voters in an emailed statement. 

Even if the number is an overestimate, another 8,200 MW of capacity is where Georgia Power will begin negotiating with the PSC. One way the utility proposes getting to that number is waiting another six years, until 2035, to retire Bowen and Scherer.

According to the most recent emissions data kept by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the delay could mean over 100 million tons more of climate warming carbon emissions from the two plants, which rank 12th and 28th, respectively, out of 2,274 U.S. power plants for carbon emissions. What’s more, Biden administration rules for capturing carbon from coal-fired power plants are expected to be shelved by the Trump administration. 

The IRP also spells out plans for more natural gas-based generation (less carbon intensive but still carbon emitting) to help meet that 8,200 MW mark.

Environmental advocates are jumping on the irony of continued fossil fuel use to power Georgia’s green transportation sector growth. 

“We’re the No. 1 state to do business and one of the U.S.’s fastest-growing tech hubs," said Jennifer Whitfield, senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center in an emailed statement. "Are we really going to power progress with gas and coal? Coal hasn't been economic for years, and paying for even more methane gas is incompatible with the future Georgians want and businesses are demanding.” 

There is a provision in the IRP for businesses demanding clean energy. During the amending of the previous IRP, the Clean Energy Buyer’s Association secured a deal for procurement of carbon-free electricity for their large industrial clients, which include Walmart, Amazon and Google. The new IRP would grow that program. 

Plus, the new IRP also lays out plans to add over 1,000 MWs of both renewable power and battery storage and proposes eking out another 112 MW of carbon-free capacity out of nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle and Plant Hatch. Both of those measures drew early praise from some of the same voices denouncing the continued use of coal and gas. 

In a press release about the 2025 IRP, Georgia Power president and CEO Kim Greene lauded the new plan. 

“As Georgia continues to grow, this state is well-positioned for the future thanks to proactive planning, policies, and processes like the Integrated Resource Plan,” Greene said. “The 2025 IRP provides a comprehensive plan to support Georgia’s continued economic growth and serve Georgians with clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy well into the future.” 

Georgia Power’s 2025 Integrated Resource Plan now faces a months-long approval process, including public hearings, before a final vote in July.