Environmental groups seeking delay in Georgia Power turbines project

ATLANTA — Lawyers for environmental groups made a final plea to Georgia energy regulators Thursday to delay Georgia Power’s plan to build three new “dual-fuel” turbines at Plant Yates near Newnan.

The Atlanta-based utility is seeking certification from the state Public Service Commission to build the new turbines, which would run mostly on natural gas but switch to ultra low-sulfur diesel fuel when and if gas is unavailable, typically on cold winter mornings.

While environmental advocates oppose expanding the use of fossil fuels in power generation in principle, Thursday’s discussion before the commission’s Energy Committee focused on the potential costs of the fuel to customers.

Georgia Power received bids last month in an all-source procurement request for proposals (RFP) to expand its electrical generating capacity to meet the Peach State’s rapidly growing needs for power.

The PSC should hold off on certifying the Plant Yates project until the company can evaluate those bids to determine if other less costly options might be available, Curt Thompson, a lawyer representing the Sierra Club and the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, told commissioners Thursday.

“Certifying the Yates (combustion turbines) now would only short-circuit the RFP process and deprive the commission of valuable information that could determine the best path forward for customers,” Thompson said.

But Steve Hewitson, a lawyer representing Georgia Power, said the need for additional electrical generation capacity in Georgia is urgent.

“These units are needed to meet the capacity needs of customers beginning in the winter of 2026 going into 2027,” Hewitson said. “There is not sufficient existing capacity available to meet customers’ needs in that time frame.”

The commission will conduct a final vote on the Yates project next week.