Southern Company’s data center pipeline keeps filling up
Southern Co. executives reported that all new power grid capacity approved less than a year ago for Georgia Power has already been committed, largely due to demand from data centers. This includes OpenAI's recently announced $20 billion data center near Savannah, which is projected to require 3,200 megawatts of electricity.
Less than a year after Georgia Power's regulator approved a plan to double the utility's power grid and construct new power plants, solar arrays, and battery storage to meet anticipated data center demand, Southern Co., Georgia Power’s parent company, announced that this new capacity has already been fully subscribed.
This rapid utilization of new capacity is significantly driven by the influx of data centers into the state. Notably, OpenAI recently disclosed its intentions to build a $20 billion data center near Savannah, which is projected to consume 3,200 megawatts of electricity. This massive energy requirement is comparable to the output of three nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle, located near Augusta.