Georgia Power plans to add more renewable energy to its portfolio and to close a coal plant. On Wednesday, the utility released its 20-year integrated resource plan, where it forecasts future electricity demand, and explains how it intends to supply power to millions of Georgians.
The utility says it wants to close coal-fired Plant Hammond, which is near Rome. It also wants to close one coal unit at Plant McIntosh, near the coast, though that would not mean closing that entire plant.
Georgia Power proposes removing two dams on the Chattahoochee River near Columbus, and a third dam on a creek in the northeast corner of the state. Even combined, the three dams don’t generate much power, according to the utility, and they aren’t in use right now anyway.
Georgia Power says it intends to add 1,000 megawatts of renewable power over the next few years, which would bring its entire renewable portfolio to about four gigawatts.
“A thousand megawatts is welcome, but we think there is room to do more” said Southern Environmental Law Center attorney Kurt Ebersbach. “In the last two IRPs you’ve had our commission exercising leadership and substantially improving upon the company’s original proposal and we would hope that that would happen here too.”
