Final yr, our Public Service Fee took emergency motion to amass 3,300 megawatts of extra capability, ensuring the value was borne by these asking for that energy. In actual fact, Georgia Energy agreed to scale back the common month-to-month invoice by $2.89 because of these new hundreds and extra assets. Only recently, the PSC took additional motion and created new guidelines for very large-load prospects, together with knowledge facilities, to guard residential, small-business and current large-business prospects. Longer-term contracts, credit score necessities, minimal invoice provisions and acceptable termination insurance policies guard in opposition to situations through which knowledge facilities or others would possibly exit the system earlier than required to pay for their prices. These PSC-approved actions go a good distance in resolving considerations from Georgia political leaders and ratepayers.
I do know there’s a lingering concern across Georgia about energy prices after the COVID-19 pandemic, huge inflation, hurricanes, winter storms and the completion of Plant Vogtle, a worthy undertaking that went manner over funds due to the chapter of Westinghouse. However our PSC, a gaggle of 5 elected officers, has proactively secured the energy all of us want and a wholesome reserve margin — with extra to come back.
Not each state is in the place that Georgia is in. Southern Co. and Georgia Energy have a popularity for reliability. Our PSC has permitted initiatives which have created a excessive reserve margin, together with Plant Vogtle, and we took motion final yr to amass extra capability. And with our charges 15% under the nationwide common and our 0% gross sales tax on manufacturing equipment and tools, you may see why corporations resembling Hyundai, Qcells and SK Improvements now name Georgia house.
In actual fact, our energy coverage and planning are sometimes cited by corporations coming to Georgia as a deciding issue. Our state has scooped up many clear energy initiatives. We landed the Hyundai Automobile Plant, the largest undertaking ever in our state. Qcells, in Cartersville and Dalton, is the largest photo voltaic panel producer in North America. SK Improvements in Commerce is a large battery producer making batteries for the F-150 and different fashions. Ascend Parts in Covington is the largest battery recycler in North America. Solarcycle being inbuilt Northwest Georgia recycles photo voltaic panels. Bluebird buses down in Fort Valley make electrical and conventional college buses. Clubcar and E-Z-GO in Augusta make extra low-speed electrical autos than anywhere in America.
The Kia plant has been expanded and is making the EV6 and EV9 fashions. And Rivian has plans to construct a mammoth automobile plant east of Atlanta, because of an injection of money from Volkswagen and the Division of Energy. A deregulated pure gasoline system — second to none — permits us to tremendously cut back air pollution, particularly in Atlanta. The listing goes on. We have now the fourth-largest container port in America. Hartsfield-Jackson Worldwide Airport is the busiest on the planet. And Atlanta is the “fintech” capital of the United States. We have now the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, a world-class aquarium and are house to many civil rights icons.
These corporations create high-paying jobs in Georgia, which improves our tax base and creates different service jobs in communities the place these factories are.
In Georgia, we’ve made steps to safe for our state an abundance of energy by means of a number of sources, making us enticing to each knowledge facilities and manufacturing. We’re prepared for the future.
Tim Echols is a statewide elected official on the Georgia Public Service Fee, having served since 2011.