Groups Sue To Block $60 Billion Georgia Power Plan Alleging "Illegal" Approval Of Gas Plants

A coalition of faith leaders, clean energy advocates, and environmental groups has filed a petition for judicial review in Fulton County Superior Court, aiming to overturn a decision by the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC). The lawsuit, filed on March 25, 2026, challenges the PSC's approval of a multi-billion-dollar expansion of Georgia Power's energy fleet, totaling nearly 10,000 megawatts of new power capacity. The petitioners, including Georgia Interfaith Power & Light (GIPL), the Sierra Club, and the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE), allege that state regulators overstepped their authority by not requiring Georgia Power to prove the necessity of the energy. They contend that the projected electricity demand, largely attributed to a 'boom' in data center developments, is speculative and inflated, with the PSC certifying 757 megawatts that even the utility's own modeling showed as unnecessary by 2031. Jennifer Whitfield, an attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center, stated that the legal action seeks to compel the Commission to apply rules designed to protect customers, highlighting that once a plant is certified, financial risk shifts to billpayers. The approved expansion includes costly methane gas-fired units, such as Plant McIntosh Unit 12, with total costs estimated between $50 to $60 billion over their lifespan, which under Georgia law, can be recovered from captive retail customers. Local religious institutions like Park Avenue Baptist Church and the Unitarian Universalist Church of Savannah have joined the lawsuit, arguing that rising utility bills impede their charitable missions. Reverend Keyanna Jones Moore of Park Avenue Baptist Church and Adrien Webber of the Sierra Club's Georgia Chapter both expressed concerns about the burden on households and prolonged fossil-fuel dependence. The 42-page petition outlines several grounds for reversing the PSC's December 2025 order, especially after the PSC denied a motion for reconsideration in February 2026 with a narrow 3-2 vote. Dissenting Commissioners Peter Hubbard and Dr. Alicia M. Johnson had warned that the 'full certification request is speculative.' The petitioners are now asking the Superior Court to reverse the certification of unnecessary resources and remand the case to the Commission to 'right-size' Georgia’s energy future, though the buildout currently remains on the books.