Georgia Power Breaks Ground on 2-GW Plant to Power Georgia’s Data Center Boom—How It Could Impact Your Electric Bill

Georgia Power has broken ground on a massive new energy hub at the retired Plant Wansley near Carrollton, marking the utility’s most aggressive move yet to power Georgia’s fast-growing data-center boom. The project pairs a 1,500-megawatt combined-cycle natural-gas plant with a 500-megawatt battery-storage system—technology Georgia Power says will let it ramp generation up and down quickly as server farms’ 24/7 demand fluctuates. Construction will employ about 1,200 workers through 2029; the battery unit is slated to enter service in 2028, followed by the gas plant a year later. Why it matters for ratepayers • Contracts in hand: Georgia Power CEO Kim Greene says the utility has already signed roughly 9,500 MW of long-term contracts with hyperscale data-center operators, meaning those companies—not households—must cover the new infrastructure’s cost. • Regulatory guardrails: A December Public Service Commission order lets Georgia Power add up to 10 GW of capacity for large-load customers but requires the utility—or the data centers themselves—to absorb any overruns, shielding residential bills from spikes. • Federal financing: Southern Company, Georgia Power’s parent, secured $26.5 billion in U.S. Department of Energy loan guarantees to help bankroll Wansley and sister projects in Alabama, the largest such non-emergency loan in DOE history. Data centers are already boosting profits In Q1 2026, Southern Company reported $1.36 billion in net income, up 1.7 % year-over-year, with Georgia Power contributing a record $628 million thanks largely to soaring electricity sales to data-center tenants. Executives said the influx of always-on industrial load helped offset a warm winter that curbed traditional residential heating demand. What’s next • Competitive resource auctions this summer will seek another 2–6 GW of renewables, storage and flexible gas to backstop future load. • PSC elections this fall could reshape oversight of Georgia Power’s rate strategy, making the Wansley build a focal point on the campaign trail. • As construction ramps up, watch for Georgia Power to publish quarterly updates on workforce needs, contract milestones and community impact, a stipulation in its PSC filing. Bottom line: With Wansley, Georgia Power is betting big that data-center growth will define Georgia’s electric grid for decades—while promising that the same servers keeping the internet running will also keep household power bills in check.