A group of environmental organizations filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the Georgia Public Service Commission, appealing the December approval of a massive expansion of power infrastructure for Georgia Power. The 42-page lawsuit, filed in Fulton County Superior Court, alleges that the commission broke the law by approving nearly 10 gigawatts of new energy generation by […]
The lawsuit alleges that the commission broke the law by not properly demonstrating a need for nearly 10 gigawatts of new energy generation. Alander Rocha/Georgia Recorder
A group of environmental organizations filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the Georgia Public Service Commission, appealing the December approval of a massive expansion of power infrastructure for Georgia Power.
The 42-page lawsuit, filed in Fulton County Superior Court, alleges that the commission broke the law by approving nearly 10 gigawatts of new energy generation by not properly demonstrating a need for it, which the lawsuit argues is at the expense of customers. The groups argue that the December decision will leave “captive customers” on the hook for an estimated $50 to $60 billion in costs over the coming decades.
“With major energy policy decisions that would lock-in Georgia Power ratepayers to paying for excessive, expensive dirty fossil fuel projects through 2075, the need for transparency and thorough review has never been more important,” said Maggie Shober, research director for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, in a press release.
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The lawsuit, filed by the Southern Environmental Law Center representing groups like the Georgia Interfaith Power and Light and the Sierra Club, claims that the commission approved 757 megawatts of resources that even Georgia Power’s own data showed were not needed to meet its projected demand.
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Georgia Power said in commission proceedings that the massive request is to serve a projected surge in energy demand, largely driven by power-hungry data centers.
Matthew Kent, a spokesperson for Georgia Power, said in a statement Wednesday that the commission’s December decision delivers savings of more than $100 per year for the typical residential customer. Georgia Power lawyers argued to commissioners that their energy infrastructure buildout would provide Georgia Power customers with about $8.50 in “downward pressure” on monthly energy bills.
“We’re reviewing the petition in more detail, but we don’t agree that this positive, constructive plan for Georgia electric customers needs to be reconsidered,” Kent said.
A PSC spokesperson declined to comment on pending litigation.
But the environmental groups argue this demand is “speculative” and that customers bear all the risk if the growth fails to materialize.
The legal challenge comes after six rate increases for Georgia Power customers since 2023. Codi Norred, executive director of Georgia Interfaith and Light, said in a phone interview that many congregations are struggling with rising energy costs, impacting their ability to serve their communities and missions.
“Obviously for congregations, the more that they’re paying and rising utility rates is less money that they can put into the community. That’s less money that they have to do their missions, and they’re also struggling with their memberships, many of whom are also unable to pay their bills,” Norred said.
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