The Georgia Public Service Commission approved seven new solar power purchase agreements for Georgia Power, adding 1,137 megawatts of renewable capacity to the utility’s portfolio. The projects, spread across seven counties in Georgia, are part of the company’s Customer Identified Resource (CARES) procurement programs and are scheduled to begin commercial operation as early as 2029.
What it means
The approved capacity includes a 78MW project in Appling County, 130MW in Decatur County, 194MW in Jefferson County, 200MW in Sumter County, 150MW in Warren County, 185MW in Emanuel County, and 200MW in Irwin County. These additions follow a September 2025 approval of 1,068MW of solar projects under the CARES 2023 program, which included sites in Coffee, Jefferson, Laurens, Mitchell, and Wilkinson counties. The CARES 2023 procurement stands as the largest single solar acquisition in Georgia Power’s history.
The CARES 2025 request for proposals was authorized under Georgia Power’s 2022 Integrated Resource Plan. Wilson Mallard, director of renewable development for Georgia Power, stated that the approvals add more than 1,100MW of renewable resources to the company’s portfolio. The CARES program allows eligible commercial and industrial customers to subscribe to specific renewable energy projects. Under the new CARES Customer Identified Resource (CARES CIR) framework, utility-scale projects larger than 6MW are available to customers with annual demand above 3MW, while distributed generation projects between 250kW and 6MW serve customers with annual demand between 1MW and 3MW. The CARES CIR program is approved for up to 3GW of additional renewable capacity.
Georgia Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company, has faced scrutiny over its energy mix despite recent renewable expansions. Sean Garren, chief programs officer at Vote Solar, criticized the utility’s reliance on fossil fuels even as it plans to add 4GW of new renewable capacity by 2035. In April 2026, Georgia Power sought proposals for 2,000MW to 6,000MW of new dispatchable capacity targeting 2032–2033 delivery. The utility also requested approval for approximately 385MW of additional solar capacity under its CARES program. Currently, 21 projects are under construction, and more than 1GW of solar PPAs were certified in 2025. Thirty-two large-load customers have committed to roughly 15,600MW of electric service.
Key facts
- Total approved capacity: 1,137MW across seven solar PPAs
- Earliest commercial operation date: 2029
- Project locations: Appling (78MW), Decatur (130MW), Jefferson (194MW), Sumter (200MW), Warren (150MW), Emanuel (185MW), and Irwin (200MW) counties
- CARES 2023 program added 1,068MW of solar in September 2025
- CARES CIR program approved for up to 3GW of additional renewable capacity
- Utility-scale threshold: Projects >6MW for customers with >3MW annual demand
- Distributed generation threshold: Projects 250kW–6MW for customers with 1MW–3MW annual demand
- Georgia Power seeks 2,000–6,000MW of dispatchable capacity for 2032–2033 delivery
Source: pv-tech.org, reporting Georgia Public Service Commission approval