Georgia Public Service Commission to review data center electricity costs; Covington project cited for environmental violations

The Georgia Public Service Commission has unanimously voted to open a review of Georgia Power's methodology for charging data centers for electricity. This decision comes amidst growing public concern over the potential impact of data center power consumption on consumer power bills. Commissioner Peter Hubbard, one of the five elected officials on the commission, pushed for a broader investigation into data centers but supports the current review as a step toward accountability, ensuring data centers pay their fair share for grid access. Georgia Power maintains that data centers will cover their costs and even suggests their presence could lower overall customer bills, a claim the state is now demanding proof for.

Concurrently, a data center project in Covington, Newton County, is facing scrutiny from the state's Environmental Protection Division (EPD). The EPD issued notices of violation and a stop-work order to the developer on July 2nd for constructing "pollution, emissions sources and or control equipment" without proper permits. Despite the order, work crews were observed to still be active on site, raising questions about compliance. This incident highlights ongoing concerns about construction compliance and environmental impacts associated with the rapid growth of data centers in Georgia.