Advocates ask regulators to reconsider Georgia Power expansion

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Environmental groups are asking state regulators to reconsider some of the Georgia Power expansion they approved late last year. In a meeting Thursday, the Georgia Public Service Commission added the request to its agenda for next week.

Georgia Power is predicting an enormous influx of energy demand in the next five years, mostly from data centers. To meet it, the commission in December approved nearly ten gigawatts of natural gas turbines, storage batteries, and other energy. Consumer and environmental advocates have raised concerns that ordinary customers could end up paying for that infrastructure despite controls designed to ensure data centers pay the costs. They have also criticized the plan for relying heavily on natural gas, which produces climate-warming greenhouse gases.