Southern Company's Georgia Power Gets Approval for 5 New Solar Facilities

Southern Company's Georgia Power has received approval to build 5 new solar facilities, focusing on electricity production and distribution. The facilities will contribute to the company's net sales, which include electricity distribution, distribution and marketing of natural gas, wholesale electricity sales, and other services. The new solar facilities will help Georgia Power meet its renewable energy goals.

Georgia Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), has received approval from the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) to develop five new solar facilities. These projects, totaling 1,068 megawatts (MW) of solar capacity, are part of the company's Clean and Renewable Energy Subscription (CARES) 2023 program. The facilities will help Georgia Power meet its renewable energy goals and contribute to its overall net sales.

The approved projects include:
- Mitchell County: A 260 MW solar facility with a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA).
- Coffee County: A 200 MW solar facility with a 30-year PPA.
- Wilkinson County: A 183 MW solar facility paired with a 91.5 MW battery storage system, with a 20-year PPA.
- Jefferson County: A 200 MW solar facility with a 20-year PPA.
- Laurens County: A 225 MW solar facility with a 20-year PPA.

These facilities will be constructed and maintained by third-party companies that successfully bid in the CARES 2023 Request for Proposal (RFP) process, which was approved in the 2022 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) Final Order. The CARES program allows eligible commercial and industrial customers to support their sustainability initiatives by purchasing a pro-rata share of renewable resource production.

Georgia Power's Director of Renewable Development, Wilson Mallard, stated, "These projects are economical and will provide energy and capacity benefits to the system, delivering long-term benefits to all customers."

The new solar facilities are part of Georgia Power's ongoing efforts to diversify its generation mix and increase reliability. The company is also seeking additional renewable resources through competitive RFP processes. The CARES 2025 RFP, with bids due in August, aims to procure up to 2,000 MW of utility-scale solar, including any unfilled resources from the CARES 2023 RFP program. These projects are expected to have commercial operation dates as early as 2028.

Georgia Power's 2025 IRP, approved in July, highlights plans to procure up to 4,000 MW of renewable resources by 2035, with an initial target of 1,100 MW through competitive utility-scale and distributed generation procurements. This expansion is expected to increase Georgia Power's renewable resource portfolio to approximately 11,000 MW by 2035.

References:
[1] https://www.morningstar.com/news/pr-newswire/20250905cl66998/georgia-power-receives-approval-from-georgia-psc-for-five-new-solar-facilities-to-supply-cares-2023-solar-program