ATLANTA — The next couple of weeks could decide if Georgia residents are on the hook for energy-related costs of data centers.
Channel 2’s Richard Elliot was at the Georgia state capitol, where lawmakers debated a bill that would make sure residents in the state do not get stuck paying those costs.
A state Senate committee is holding a hearing on a bill related to protecting everyday Georgians from the cost of data centers right now.
In December, the Georgia Public Service Commission allowed Georgia Power to provide 10 new gigawatts of power, mostly expected to go to data centers.
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The data centers are supposed to pay for it, but what if it turns out they don’t need as much power as they think?
Consumers could wind up paying for part of it, so lawmakers have filed bills to protect them from the cost.
Activists asked the PSC on Thursday to reconsider approving the plan to let Georgia Power provide another 10 gigawatts of energy.
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Under that plan, the data centers themselves are supposed to pay for the power, but Science for Georgia’s Amy Sharma says if the data centers don’t need that much power, or if fewer come to Georgia than expected, consumers would have to pay.
“Georgia Power, if they build this, is guaranteed cost recovery for everything that they build,” Sharma told Channel 2 Action News. “So Georgia Power is not on the hook if they built five gigawatts that no one uses. And if they’re not on the hook, we are going to end up on the hook.”
Lawmakers are currently considering two bills related to data centers. One would just put the PSC policy into law.
Holly Springs Republican Brad Thomas insists it would protect customers.
“And it’s about protecting small business owners and residential rate payers,” Thomas told Elliot. “To ensure that anything associated with data centers and moving in the costs to construct them, capital costs, don’t get stranded on the residential or business owners.”
The state Senate version goes farther. It makes sure that any data center cost, whether they use that much power or not, cannot be passed onto customers.
Sharma said both bills offer protection that consumers in Georgia desperately need.
“At least half of those 10 gigawatts are not covered by actual customers yet,” Sharma said. “So if those customers never materialize, there is no protection to Georgia rate payers for those extra costs.”
The full PSC will meet again next week to see if they will reconsider their original plan.
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