PSC candidates talk data centers ahead of November election
Georgia Public Service Commission candidates are debating how the state should regulate electricity contracts and infrastructure costs associated with data centers. The PSC approved Georgia Power’s large-load contract to serve a planned OpenAI hyperscale data center in Effingham County, prompting concerns about ratepayer costs, water use, transparency and clean-energy requirements.
Candidates for two Georgia Public Service Commission seats are offering competing views on the state’s rapidly expanding data center industry ahead of the November election. The PSC does not approve data center sites, but it regulates utility service and pricing; in August, commissioners approved Georgia Power’s large-load contract to serve a planned OpenAI hyperscale facility in Effingham County.
Republican Joshua Tolbert, Democrat Shelia Edwards, incumbent Peter Hubbard and former commissioner Fitz Johnson emphasized protecting residential ratepayers from infrastructure and generation costs. Edwards also called for greater regulation of water use and noise, while Hubbard advocated stronger financial safeguards, renewable energy requirements and demand reductions during grid stress. The debate comes as Georgia residents seek more transparency and local controls over data center development, including concerns about projects near neighborhoods, schools and churches.