Last week, the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) approved a rate increase for Georgia Power customers. The increase is relatively small – 2.6 percent in the first year, followed by 4.5 percent the next two years – the length of a typical rate case. The typical customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours per month would see a bill increase of about $3.60 per month. For some perspective, an air conditioner running for eight hours a day uses about 350 kilowatt-hours in a month, a refrigerator uses about 160 kilowatt-hours in a month.
In an unprecedented move, a number of local governments joined together to request the PSC expand renewable energy programs and limit the rate increase impacts on vulnerable groups. The Mayor of Atlanta Andre Dickens personally weighed in with a detailed letter about the groups requests. “As a mayor and a Georgia Tech educated engineer, I understand the significant impacts that your decisions on this Rate Case will have on my city’s budget, our 100% clean energy goals, and the household economic stability of Atlanta’s 532,000 residents,” said Mayor Dickens in the letter ahead of the PSC’s decision. “We need continued engagement with an intentional direction from this commission to meet our ambitious, and achievable, clean energy goals.”
The official line from Georgia Power was positive, and the electricity provider may have anticipated some pushback from the PSC on their original rate request, but the approved rate increase was lower than what was originally requested – by some 40 percent off the original request.
“Since the start of the rate request process, we asked the PSC to set rates at a level that supports the essential, critical investments needed to meet our state’s evolving energy needs,” said Chris Womack, chairman, president and CEO, Georgia Power. “Today’s decision does that while also balancing affordability needs for customers. Through this process, we were able to bring forth a plan that considered all perspectives, manages the impact to customers and supports our continued focus on providing clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy to Georgians.”
While the municipalities were generally satisfied with the rate request agreement, there is still some concern about the support from the state on clean or renewable energy programs – though there is no mention of nuclear energy in the statement from the City of Atlanta, perhaps the cleanest and most efficient of all energy sources (until fusion becomes operable).
“As energy prices rise, we must ensure they are borne equitably among our residents,” Chief Sustainability Officer Chandra Farley said. “We are pleased that the Public Service Commission agreed to reduce the originally requested rate increase, and to increase the senior citizen discount. Meeting our City’s clean energy goals requires all of us to work together to build climate resilient infrastructure and incentivize clean energy development. While we are pleased that the final agreement reflects several of our priorities, we remain concerned that the agreement does not go far enough to establish clean energy as the prevailing source of electricity in Georgia.”
