The Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC), on July 15, 2025, approved Georgia Power’s 2025 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), which calls for keeping coal plants online to serve anticipated data center demand. For example, its Bowen coal plant had been planned to shut down in 2035, but will now continue operating, possibly through 2038. The IRP also includes up to 4,000 MW of renewable energy, 1,500 MW of battery storage, and a smaller amount of new gas capacity by 2035.
Of the total 4,000 MW by 2035, the IRP calls for an initial target of 1,100 MW of new renewable resources sought through competitive utility-scale and distributed generation procurements. Georgia Power said the new resources would expand the company’s renewable portfolio to approximately 11,000 MW by 2035.
The utility said it anticipates approximately 8,500 MW of load growth over the next six years. The IRP allows for the PSC to monitor that growth, with the utility updating its load forecast and making quarterly filings regarding large load developments.
Clean energy and consumer advocates were critical of the plan’s reliance on coal and gas, and an energy savings target (of 0.5 per cent of the company’s annual electricity sales) that has not been updated in years. While it was agreed to increase the target to 0.75 per cent in a 2023 agreement between the utility, and environmental and consumer groups, the utility has consistently failed to meet even the lower target, said American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. Positive aspects of the IRP around solar, storage and customer programs “are sadly blunted by the continued investment in fossil fuel infrastructure,” said Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.
The Atlanta metropolitan area is one of the prime data center markets in the country right now, and Georgia Power’s long-term plan aims to meet the growing demand. But growth projections remain uncertain and critics of the IRP say it could leave customers on the hook for higher bills if the demand does not materialize.
The Natural Resources Defense Council feels approval of the plan locks in major investments based on uncertain assumptions about future data center demand, while failing to deliver meaningful benefits or cost relief to existing residential and small business customers. Data centers are driving US electricity demand rapidly higher, but observers say final construction of new facilities is likely to be a fraction of what has been proposed. Another recent analysis concluded there are not enough AI chips globally to support the projections of aggressive US data center growth.
Georgia Power and the PSC’s Public Interest Advocacy Staff disagreed over the amount of new energy large load customers were expected to consume over the next several years – although both sides did agree it would be significant, the PSC said in a statement following the unanimous approval of the IRP. This long-term plan aims to strike a balance between reliability and affordability. Regulators ultimately approved new production of at least 6,000 MW from all resources and possibly up to 8,500 MW.