Georgia Power selected locations earlier this year for 500 megawatts (MW) of new battery storage energy systems (BESS), with approval from the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC).
This development is within the framework of the company’s 2023 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) Update, which outlines Georgia Power’s aims to address resource needs cost-effectively.
The BESS facilities will have a 4-hour capacity to provide dispatchable energy resources during high-demand periods, especially in the winter of 2026 or 2027.
These systems will enhance Georgia Power’s energy portfolio and provide customers with clean, safe, reliable, and cost-effective electricity.
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The identified locations are Robins BESS (Bibb County, 128 MW), Moody BESS (Lowndes County, 49.5 MW), Hammond BESS (Floyd County, 57.5 MW), and McGrau Ford Site Phase II BESS (Cherokee County, 265 MW).
The BESS projects are designed to leverage existing infrastructure, co-located with solar facilities, and eliminate the need for new transmission substations.
Georgia Power aims to reduce deployment time, avoid additional capital investments, and qualify for tax incentives under the Inflation Reduction Act, ultimately lowering customer expenses.
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Additionally, the BESS resources will provide energy arbitrage benefits, optimizing energy savings and shifting energy output from low-cost to high-cost periods.
In addition to the 500 MW of BESS projects outlined in the 2023 IRP Update, Georgia Power is close to finishing construction of the 65 MW Mossy Branch Battery Facility in Talbot County, approved in the 2019 IRP which will be the company’s first BESS resource.
The development of the 265 MW McGrau Ford Phase I BESS, which was approved in the 2022 IRP, is also under development and is expected to be operational by the end of 2026.