US utility Georgia Power has filed an update to its integrated resource plan (IRP) through which the company would procure an additional 4GW of renewables and up to 1GW of battery storage resources.
IRPs are the long-term planning tools of regulated utility companies in the US, which are filed with state regulators for approval and set out pathways for resource procurement and management of electricity networks.
As the energy transition away from fossil fuels gathers pace, IRPs are playing an increasingly important role in mapping out how the US will get there.
Georgia Power filed its most recent IRP in 2022, but said in late October as the update was published that "extraordinary economic growth" in the US state – which is becoming home to numerous new industrial developments including electric vehicle (EV) battery factories – means it is having to revise its projections.
Approved by the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) in July last year, the 2022 IRP included estimates that the utility would require close to an additional 4,000MW of energy capacity by 2031 to keep pace with changing energy demand.
In turn, Georgia Power said it anticipated a need to instead add approximately 10,000MW of renewable energy capacity by 2035, and expand its fleet of battery energy storage system (BESS), including renewables-plus-storage hybrid plants and distributed energy resources (DER).
"Georgia has continued to experience rapid economic growth since the filing of our IRP in early 2022. Many businesses coming to the state are bringing large electrical demands at both a record scale and velocity," Georgia Power CEO, chairman and president Kim Greene said.
In addition to the low carbon resources, the utility, a subsidiary of utility holding group Southern Company is also seeking approval for other capacity, including the right to develop, own and operate three simple cycle combustion turbine (CT) gas power plants totalling 1,400MW at its Plant Yates power station complex.
It will also look to build out its transmission infrastructure to integrate the growth in capacity.
As far as BESS is concerned, the updated plan asks for approval to develop, own and operate up to 1,000MW of the technology at various sites, including retrofits at existing solar PV plants and integration with new PV plants.
That builds on a request to procure 500MW of energy storage systems included in the 2022 IRP, as well as a request to develop its own 265MW McGrau Ford BESS facility.
The company issued a request for information (RFI) in late September for prospective providers of capacity resources of between 100MW and 1,200MW each to come forward, with technologies including standalone BESS, renewables-plus-storage and thermal power plants eligible.
Related developments for the company include the coming online in mid-2022 of European energy company RWE''s largest solar-plus-storage project in the US, Hickory Park, which pairs 195.5MW of solar PV with 40MW/80MWh of BESS, and from which Georgia Power will buy energy through a 30-year power purchase agreement (PPA).
Georgia Power is also one of three US utilities so far to have agreed to pilot the deployment of a novel iron-air battery storage technology developed by startup Form Energy. The battery, which works by rusting and de-rusting iron as it charges and discharges, is intended to offer up to and around 100-hour duration of storage.
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ATLANTA, Aug. 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Georgia Power has identified locations for 500 MW of new battery energy storage systems (BESS) authorized by the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) earlier this year as part of the company''s 2023 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) Update. According to the company''s recent filingwith the Georgia PSC, the portfolio of BESS resources proposed by Georgia Power helps address the resource needs identified in the 2023 IRP Update in a cost-effective and strategic manner.
Each of the proposed resources will consist of 4-hour durationBESS. Once developed, these projects will serve asdispatchable capacity resources that will provide customers with a reliable and economical source of electricity for the winter of 2026/2027. These resources will add to Georgia Power''s diverse generation portfolio, helping to ensure the company has the mix of technologies necessary to provide clean, safe, reliable and affordable electric service for all customers during all hours.
BESS support the reliability and resilience of the electric system, while also enhancing the value of intermittent renewable generation like solar. BESS can improve the efficiency of renewable energy by storing excess energy produced during periods when the demand for electricity is lower, for use when the demand is higher, such as on cold winter mornings. Because battery storage can provide stored energy to the grid over several hours, BESS resources can also rapidly respond to other system events to increase the reliability of the electric system.
The newBESS facilities planned and under development are:
Each BESS project is expected to produce significant benefits for customers. For example, leveraging existing sites and transmission infrastructure will reduce deployment time and avoid additional capital investment otherwise required. In addition, eachBESS project qualifies for customer cost reducing tax incentives from the Inflation Reduction Act. The proposed BESS resources will also provide "energy arbitrage" benefits, which optimize energy savings by shifting the energy output from hours with a relatively low system marginal cost to hours with a relatively high system marginal cost – ultimately saving customers money.
Georgia Power leaders joined elected officials from the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC), Georgia legislature, and Talbot and Muscogee...
ATLANTA, Oct. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ --Georgia Power today filed an update to its Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) that sets forth a flexible, comprehensive plan to support the state''s extraordinary economic growth and continue providing clean, safe, reliable, and affordable power for customers. Georgia, long recognized as a top state in the country in which to do business, is attracting extraordinary customer growth. Current energy projections for the state now reflect energy growth of approximately 6,600 MW through 2030, up from approximately 400 MW previously forecasted in January 2022.
Building upon the plan approved in its 2022 IRP, the company''s 2023 IRP Update seeks approval to deploy additional generation resources to reliably and economically support Georgia''s rapidly growing energy needs. These resources include expansion of renewable energy resources, battery energy storage systems (BESS), new and expanded distributed energy resources (DER), demand response programs, as well as new and existing conventional power plants.
"Georgia has continued to experience rapid economic growth since the filing of our IRP in early 2022," said Kim Greene, chairman, president, and CEO of Georgia Power. "Many businesses coming to the state are bringing large electrical demands at both a record scale and velocity. It''s an exciting time to have the privilege to serve this great state, and this IRP Update outlines how Georgia Power can best continue supporting that historic growth while continuing to provide our customers with the clean, safe, reliable, and affordable energy they expect and deserve."
If approved, this plan will enable the company to deploy new generation resources to meet Georgia''s increased energy demand. Additionally, the company is seeking approval of the transmission infrastructure necessary to support these new generation resources to help ensure the continued reliability and resiliency of Georgia''s electric system. Specifically, today''s filing includes the following requests:
Georgia Power expects existing and new customers to recognize substantial economic benefits from this energy usage growth, which helps offset and balance the cost of investments needed to serve Georgia''s growing energy needs.
Consistent with the plan set forth in the company''s 2022 IRP, the company remains committed to the economic transition to cleaner resources. Based on the company''s energy expansion plan in the 2023 IRP Update, the company anticipates adding a total of approximately 10,000 MW of new renewable resources by 2035, which is nearly double the 6,000 MW projected in the 2022 IRP. Notably, the company''s continued expansion of BESS and DER resources, such as those proposed in the 2023 IRP Update, are essential to ensuring that the grid remains reliable and resilient while the company continues adding renewable resources.
Georgia Power continues to implement the programs approved in the 2022 IRP and is in the process of procuring new renewable energy through competitive requests for proposal (RFP) processes, including distributed generation and utility scale generation resources. In 2024, the company plans to issue a 500 MW energy storage system RFP, with resources anticipated to be online by the end of 2028, as well as an "all-source" RFP to address capacity needs for the 2029 through 2031 period.
In the 2022 IRP, the Georgia PSC provisionally authorized Georgia Power to develop, own, and operate the 265 MW McGrau Ford BESS project. The company continues to pursue the development of this facility and plans to seek final approval from the Georgia PSC by the end of 2024, with commercial operation of the facility projected by the end of 2026.
In addition to new generation resources, the 2022 IRP also included multiple innovative customer programs designed to promote reliability and resiliency, such as the DER Customer Program. The DER Customer Program enables participating customers to subscribe to a resiliency service provided by company-owned, operated and maintained DER.
Following the 2022 IRP proceeding, Georgia Power worked with Georgia PSC Staff and intervenors to develop and finalize the DER Customer Program tariffs, which were approved in January 2023. Since that time, the company has engaged with customers who are interested in participating in the program. The company is currently pursuing more than two dozen project leads, including large-scale customer opportunities. If successful, these opportunities could provide capacity up to the 250 MW program limit for the benefit of retail customers.
For more information about the IRP process, and to learn how Georgia Power is investing in Georgia''s energy future, visit
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