Does Georgia Power’s Proposed Energy Plan Make the Grade?

Every three years, Georgia Power has to prepare an Integrated Resource Plan, also known as an IRP. The IRP outlines how Georgia Power will generate the electricity it will sell to its customers for the next 20 years, deciding whether that electricity comes from clean, renewable sources or from dirty fossil fuels like coal and fracked gas.

Georgia Power filed its proposal at the end of January. The utility’s proposal must be approved by the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC), a five-member, elected, governmental body responsible for regulating utilities in Georgia, including electric, gas, and telecommunications services.

The PSC will hold hearings and receive testimony about the plan, including comments from the public as well as intervening parties like the Sierra Club, before voting to approve a final version of the IRP. Remember: Georgia Power’s filing is just a proposal, we (the public) have the opportunity to advocate for our priorities with our elected officials on the PSC.

Sierra Club wants to help customers throughout the state unpack and understand what is included in Georgia Power’s 200+ page IRP proposal and its hundreds of pages of supporting documents. Below, we have broken down the IRP into categories and graded it based upon the follow criteria:

• Timeframe - How secure and how far away are Georgia Power’s proposed commitments? Are they within the current three year energy planning cycle or are they long term goals? Georgia Power shouldn’t get credit for what they say they’ll do in 10 years if they don’t follow through.
• Environmental Justice - Is Georgia Power taking swift action to address legacy pollution from closed coal plants? Is Georgia Power supporting communities who will experience the closure of a coal plant with worker transition and other programs?
• Equity and Affordability - Is Georgia Power prioritizing energy that is clean and affordable for all, addressing challenges for those with the highest energy burdens, and investing in programs that save energy and lower customers bills?
• Climate Impact - What actions is Georgia Power taking to address greenhouse gas emissions and pollution? How much electricity does Georgia Power plan to obtain from fossil fuels compared to clean energy sources?
• Transparency, Honesty, Accountability - Is Georgia Power being honest about its plans or misrepresenting them? Do the proposals in the IRP match Georgia Power’s stated values and goals?

Commitment to Climate Action

Facts / Evidence:

• Southern Company, Georgia Power’s parent company, made a commitment to reach “net zero” carbon emissions by 2050, but Georgia Power’s plans don’t make good on that promise.
• Georgia Power wants to substitute one fossil fuel with another by replacing some of its coal capacity with fracked gas.
• Investments in solar are modest and slow, but Georgia Power wants to take credit for solar it hasn’t built yet.
• Georgia Power claims it will “double” its renewable energy capacity, but the reality is that Georgia Power wouldn’t double its renewable energy until 2033 under its current proposal.

What should be done differently:

• Georgia Power needs to make significant changes in order to fully decarbonize its electricity production, recognizing that we are in the midst of a global climate crisis.
• The utility needs to aggressively retire its coal plants and not invest in new gas purchases or infrastructure.
• Georgia Power needs to make big investments in solar and batteries, fast. Solar and batteries are by far the most cost effective energy sources that are emissions-free.

Ditch Coal

Facts / Evidence:

• Georgia Power is proposing to close several coal units. If the PSC approves, Plant Wansley Units 1 and 2 will be closed by August 2022. Unfortunately, the other proposed coal plant closures are not until 2028.
• The coal units that will be in use until 2028 will continue polluting the air and water of nearby communities and directly contributing to climate change.
• Georgia Power wants to burn coal at Plant Bowen Units 3 and 4 until 2035. In order to comply with federal regulations, Georgia Power plans to install expensive pollution control technologies at the plant (paid for by customers), instead of retiring it earlier in favor of more affordable clean energy alternatives.
• Coal power is more expensive than clean energy alternatives, and ratepayers are needlessly being forced to pad the pockets of Georgia Power by paying more than the energy itself is worth.
• Coal is the most polluting energy source, its emissions directly contribute to climate change and pollutes the air with harmful toxins.
• The coal ash left behind from coal electricity production can pollute water with toxins like arsenic and chromium that cause cancer.

What should be done differently:

• Georgia Power’s coal plants are already uneconomic and costing customers billions. They must be shut down as quickly as possible, for the benefit of our wallets, our health, and our climate.
• Georgia Power should accelerate retirement of all of its coal plants.
• Georgia Power should support communities near coal plants by providing advance notice and utilize community-led transition plans.

No Fracked Gas

Facts / Evidence:

• Georgia Power wants to buy a massive amount of electricity fueled by fracked gas from Georgia Power’s sister company, an unregulated subsidiary of Southern Company, through a series of power purchase agreements.
• Although Georgia Power does not plan to build any new gas-fired power plants in this IRP cycle (thankfully!), the utility plans new gas plant construction in 2040. This highlights Georgia Power’s lack of commitment to climate goals.
• Methane, the primary component of fracked gas, is a greenhouse gas more than 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over a 20-year timeframe, and a major contributor to the climate crisis.
• Gas is a volatile resource prone to sudden price spikes and supply interruptions from extreme weather disasters and international crises.
• This IRP would functionally lock Georgia into more than a decade of using fracked gas, the pollution it produces, and its extreme price volatility.
• Georgia has no fracked gas supply of its own, so it has to purchase the fuel from out-of-state. This doesn’t bolster Georgia’s economy, but instead, sends our money elsewhere.

What should be done differently:

• Georgia doesn’t need more gas. Period.
• Georgia Power should create new jobs in the state by building out its renewable energy infrastructure instead of extracting wealth from its customers by buying out-of-state gas from its own sister company.

Go Big on Clean Energy

Facts / Evidence:

• Georgia Power wants customers to believe that it is doubling its renewable energy capacity, but that won’t happen for at least a decade. Georgia Power shouldn’t get credit for solar power that doesn’t exist yet.
• Georgia Power’s rhetoric would have you believe that massive solar investments are a utility priority, but the details show that Georgia Power is only proposing modest solar investments in this IRP cycle, 2,300 megawatts (MW) in the next three years.
• Georgia Power proposes adding 1,000 MW of battery storage by 2030. While this is a good start, vastly more storage will be needed — Georgia Power should plan for the future and make big investments in battery storage now.
• Georgia Power shows no support for the expansion of the state’s solar net metering program. Net metering is a billing mechanism that provides credits to households with solar energy systems when they provide electricity back to the grid and acts as a strong incentive for individual consumers to install solar panels.

What should be done differently:

• It’s now well established that solar is not only the cleanest but also the most cost-effective energy supply choice.
• The expanding solar industry also creates good-paying jobs. Georgia is already home to the largest solar panel manufacturer in the Western Hemisphere. We should be making significant investments in solar power NOW.
• Georgia Power should accelerate adoption of other clean energy alternatives, like offshore wind, to expand its renewable portfolio.
• All clean energy build outs should include significant battery storage to provide reliability during inclement weather or other unexpected outages.

Energy Burden and Equity

Facts / Evidence:

• Energy burden is the percentage of a household’s income that is spent on energy costs like electricity and air conditioning.
• Low-income Georgians face some of the highest energy burdens in the entire U.S.
• Georgia Power is maintaining some energy efficiency programs at status quo levels (called demand side management or DSM), but not expanding them or creating new opportunities for customers.
• Georgia Power cites lower fracked gas prices and increases in renewables as lowering the marginal costs of electricity generation, making DSM programs “less cost-effective.”
• Georgia Power’s lack of investment in energy efficiency programs ignores the needs of low-income Georgians who would significantly benefit from home weatherization and other improvements.
• Georgia Power wants to increase the price for its solar buy-in program by $3 per month for residential customers, making solar even more expensive and less accessible for low-income Georgians.

What should be done differently:

• Improving energy efficiency is one of the most useful ways to fight climate change: it reduces greenhouse gas emissions, reduces demand for energy imports, and lowers costs for consumers. However, Georgia Power sets energy efficiency targets in this IRP that are too low given our clean energy challenges.
• Georgia Power should make significantly more investments in energy efficiency. Reducing consumption, especially during peak usage periods, is good for our electric grid, will make a transition away from fossil fuels easier, and would reduce energy burden for consumers.

Pollution

Facts / Evidence:

• Due to the declining economic viability of coal, Georgia Power is choosing to close most of its coal-fired power plants over the next 10 years, but those closures are not happening quickly enough. Every month that Georgia Power delays, more carbon is released into the atmosphere.
• Much of Georgia Power’s energy portfolio (coal and fracked gas) causes air pollution and leads to a significant number of health problems: lung cancer, heart attacks, increased mortality, and childhood asthma (nearly 1 in 10 Georgia children suffer from asthma).
• Georgia Power has more than 90 million tons of toxic coal ash stored across the state, risking the health of communities throughout Georgia. The utility plans to store some this coal ash in pits without liners, allowing toxic material to seep into groundwater, which can cause cancer and reproductive health issues.

What should be done differently:

• The PSC should move up the timeline for the retirement of Georgia Power’s coal-fired power plant fleet. It is unfair to the communities who live near these facilities to have to deal with the air and water pollution they cause for several more years until Georgia Power shuts them down.
• Georgia Power should increase its investments in clean energy sources and transition away from all fossil fuels as quickly as possible to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. The longer the timeline for this transition, the more carbon is released into the atmosphere and the higher the pile of coal ash gets.
• All coal ash should be fully excavated from existing ash pits and relocated to a lined landfill away from waterways to protect the health of our communities. Georgia Power should be responsible for paying for coal ash clean up instead of passing the costs onto customers.

Electric Vehicles

Facts / Evidence:

• Transportation is the leading source of climate-disrupting pollution in the nation, and the urban housing shortage is driving longer commute times.
• Electric vehicles are hardly mentioned in the IRP proposal. The only EV-related discussion is a proposal to repurpose old EV batteries for energy storage and a general statement that Georgia Power is pro-electric vehicle.
• EV sales are increasing rapidly, and at least 10 auto manufacturers have pledged to shift to producing only electric vehicles.
• This expected increase in EVs requires careful planning to ensure that additional demand due to EV charging does not harm our electric grid.

What should be done differently:

• Building healthier communities requires advancing clean cars and family-sustaining jobs in the US — improving air quality, reducing climate emissions, and securing economic justice go hand in hand.
• Georgia Power must be prepared to play its role in ensuring a robust public charging network to power Georgia’s transportation needs, including incentives to encourage off-peak charging.
• Because Georgia Power’s IRP proposal does not meaningfully address electric vehicles, the PSC should open a separate docket to address and explore EV charging infrastructure.

How can you make a difference?

Georgia Power’s initial proposal leaves much to be desired. The IRP will go through a lengthy process involving testimony from Georgia Power, intervenors like the Sierra Club, and the public. We have a significant opportunity to improve and strengthen the IRP proposal to create a clean energy future for ALL Georgians. If we pull together, we can protect our air and water, provide affordable energy for all, and live on a healthy planet where everyone can thrive.

To get involved, join our campaign and sign up for updates. We’ll let you know about opportunities for public comment, invite you to rally and protest events, and keep you informed of how the proposal changes as we move through the process.

If you’re part of an organization or institution that wants to get involved, click here for more information.

For individuals, families, and friends who want to learn more about IRP actions, click here for more information.