Georgia Power plans for 80 MW of new energy storage after unanimous approval of the utility’s 2019 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) by the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC). The plan calls for 72% more renewable generation by 2024, supported by batteries.
“Through the IRP process, Georgia Power will continue to invest in a diverse energy portfolio including the development of renewable resources in a way that benefits all customers to deliver clean, safe, reliable energy at rates that are well below the national average,” said Allen Reaves, Georgia Power’s senior vice president and senior production officer
Under the approved IRP, Georgia Power will:
- Own and operate 80 MW of battery energy storage systems.
- Add 2,260 MW of new renewable (solar, wind or biomass) generation to the company’s energy mix. The Georgia Solar Energy Association claims that 2,000 MW will be utility-scale solar and 210 MW will be rooftop solar.
- Continue making capital investments to ensure high reliability of the system and help ensure the company meets all state and federal environmental compliance regulations. Georgia Power will move forward with five hydro investment projects and continue with its environmental compliance strategy, which includes comprehensive plans to safely close all 29 ash ponds while protecting water quality and complying with all state and federal requirements.
- Retire five coal-fired units — four at Plant Hammond near Rome, Georgia, and one at Plant McIntosh near Rincon, Georgia, reducing the company’s coal-fired generation capacity to approximately half of what it was in 2005. The company also will not renew its operating licenses for the Estatoah, Langdale and Riverview hydro dams.
Georgia Power’s IRP, which outlines how the company will continue to deliver clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy to its 2.6 million customers over the next 20 years, is filed every three years with the Georgia PSC. The 2019 plan was a result of the in-depth IRP process, which includes projections of future fuel costs, load and energy forecasts, an analysis of available generation technologies, the 10-year transmission plan, and an economic assessment of potential and proposed energy efficiency and demand response programs. The company also evaluated the cost-effectiveness of its generating resources given changing environmental regulations and emerging technologies and discussed the growing importance of resilience to the electric system.
News item from Georgia Power
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