Georgia Power has officially confirmed the news of securing Georgia Public Service Commission’s approval to certify five new utility-scale solar site power purchase agreements (PPAs) and satisfy power needs of customers living within the relevant area, as well as supply the company’s Clean and Renewable Energy Subscription (CARES) 2023 program.
According to certain reports, these new solar facilities, making up a total of 1,068 megawatts (MW), are slated to be built and maintained by third-party companies that successfully bid projects in the CARES 2023 Request for Proposal (RFP), approved during the 2022 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) Final Order.
For better understanding, the stated CARES program makes it possible for eligible commercial and industrial customers to support their sustainability initiatives through one subscription for a pro-rata share of the production of renewable resources.
Anyway, more on the given development would reveal how five PPAs were selected by Georgia Power following a competitive solicitation overseen by an independent evaluator and PSC staff.
Talk about the same on a slightly deeper level, we begin from Mitchell County facility, a 25-year PPA providing 260 MW of solar capacity.
Next up, we have the Coffee County facility, which happens to be a 30-year PPA providing 200 MW of solar capacity. Another detail worth a mention is rooted in the presence of Wilkinson County facility, a 20-year PPA focused on providing 183 MW of solar capacity paired with a 91.5 MW battery storage system.
Beyond that, we have a facility in the Jefferson county, understood to be a 20-year PPA capable of providing 200 MW of solar capacity. Rounding up highlights would be the Laurens County. This one happens to be a 20-year PPA providing 225 MW of solar capacity.
Moving forward, Georgia Power will look to recruit more of such renewable resources to continue building a reliable, diversified generation portfolio through competitive RFP processes capable of maintaining flexibility amid changing market conditions, as well as enabling the company to provide more carbon-free energy for customers.
This will also build upon the recent bidding process, where CARES 2025 RFP bidders were asked to submit utility-scale solar or solar plus storage bids to meet a target of up to 2,000 MW of utility-scale solar, including any remaining unfilled utility-scale resources from the CARES 2023 RFP program.
Turning our attention towards Georgia Power’s 2025 IRP, it effectively highlights the procurement of up to 4,000 MW of renewable resources by 2035, with an initial target for 1,100 MW of new renewable resources solicited through competitive utility-scale and distributed generation procurements.
The company further anticipates issuing RFPs in 2026 for these new resources, which should really go the distance to expand its renewable resource portfolio to a staggering 11,000 MW by 2035.
“Renewable RFPs, such as the CARES 2023 RFP, are designed to procure valuable renewable energy that helps to diversify Georgia Power’s generation mix and increase reliability. Our planning models project that these resources will deliver benefits to customers long-term,” said Wilson Mallard, director of renewable development for Georgia Power. “The five projects we selected are economical and we expect they will provide energy and capacity benefits to the system and the most value for all Georgia Power customers.”
