Georgia Power this week received approval from the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) to certify five new utility-scale solar site power purchase agreements (PPAs) to benefit all customers and to supply the company's Clean and Renewable Energy Subscription (CARES) 2023 program. The new solar facilities, consisting of a total of 1,068 megawatts (MW), will be built and maintained by third-party companies that successfully bid projects in the CARES 2023 Request for Proposal (RFP), which was approved in the 2022 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) Final Order.

The CARES program allows eligible commercial and industrial customers to support their sustainability initiatives by purchasing a subscription for a pro-rata share of the production of renewable resources. Demand for such subscriptions continues to grow from customers with sustainability goals.

"Renewable RFPs, such as the CARES 2023 RFP, are designed to procure valuable renewable energy that helps to diversify Georgia Power's generation mix and increase reliability. Our planning models project that these resources will deliver benefits to customers long-term," said Wilson Mallard, director of renewable development for Georgia Power. "The five projects we selected are economical and we expect they will provide energy and capacity benefits to the system and the most value for all Georgia Power customers."

The five PPAs were selected by Georgia Power following a competitive solicitation overseen by an independent evaluator and PSC staff. The facilities will be located throughout Georgia and include:

• Mitchell County: A 25-year PPA providing 260 MW of solar capacity.

• Coffee County: A 30-year PPA providing 200 MW of solar capacity.

• Wilkinson County: A 20-year PPA providing 183 MW of solar capacity paired with a 91.5 MW battery storage system.

• Jefferson County: A 20-year PPA providing 200 MW of solar capacity.

• Laurens County: A 20-year PPA providing 225 MW of solar capacity.

Expanding Renewable Energy Within a Diverse Generation Mix
Georgia Power is seeking additional renewable resources to continue to build a reliable, diversified generation portfolio through competitive RFP processes, which help maintain flexibility amid changing market conditions and enable the company to continue to provide more carbon-free energy to customers.

The CARES 2025 RFP, also approved in the 2022 IRP Final Order, was recently issued with bids due in August. CARES 2025 RFP bidders were asked to submit utility-scale solar or solar plus storage bids to meet a target of up to 2,000 MW of utility-scale solar including any remaining unfilled utility-scale resources from the CARES 2023 RFP program. These utility-scale solar projects are expected to have commercial operation dates as early as 2028.

Georgia Power's 2025 IRP, approved in July, highlights the additional procurement of a total of up to 4,000 MW of renewable resources by 2035, with an initial target of 1,100 MW of new renewable resources sought through competitive utility-scale and distributed generation procurements. The company anticipates issuing RFPs in 2026 for these new resources, which would expand the company's renewable resource portfolio to approximately 11,000 MW by 2035.