Georgia Public Service Commission approves Georgia Power Company’s three-year power plan
The Georgia Power Company’s revised integrated resource plan (IRP) was recently approved by the Georgia Public Service Commission by a vote of 4-1.
The submission of an IRP has been required by law since 1992 and consists of a three-year forecast and plan for electric power needs across the state.
“I believe this IRP strikes the right balance between ensuring Georgia Power customers have reliable service and the right mix of resources while at the same time not paying for un-needed resources,” Commission Chairman Chuck Eaton said.
The newest draft of the IRP includes an extra 1,600 MW of renewable energy that will come online in the next five years, as well as a request to recover from ratepayers the licensing and investigation costs for potential new nuclear units, which Georgia Power Company will be investigating and possibly licensing.
“We’ve seen what happens when regulators do not make the tough decisions and sit on their hands,” Commissioner Stan Wise said. “We see what happens when decisions are deferred, infrastructure crumbles and power is curtailed. We can debate the wisdom of the coal exodus but it must be replaced with something that is cost effective. Nuclear power remains among the lowest cost energy source, with a 92 percent reliability rating and it is carbon free. Nuclear deployment takes time and I refuse to sit on my hands.”
