Georgia PSC Approves Secret OpenAI Contract

Georgia's Public Service Commission staff has approved a contract between Georgia Power and OpenAI to supply electricity for a massive 3.2 gigawatt data center planned for Effingham County, Georgia. The approval came from commission staff, not from a direct vote by the commissioners themselves, and follows a process that critics say kept key details hidden from the public.

Environmental groups Sierra Club and the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy say the deal still leaves major questions unanswered, including how Georgia Power is calculating the cost of serving this huge data center and what happens to that cost if the facility later needs less power than planned. Their concern is that ratepayers, meaning anyone who pays a Georgia Power electric bill, could end up covering costs tied to a project of this size if it doesn't use as much electricity as expected.

For homeowners in Georgia Power's service area, this matters because utility contracts for very large customers like data centers can affect what everyone else pays on their electric bill. The groups are pushing for the full commission, whose members are elected, to review and vote on contracts like this rather than leaving it to staff, arguing that would give the public more visibility into how these deals might affect rates. Nothing in this decision changes rebate programs or upgrade options available to homeowners now, but it's worth watching if you're in Georgia and want to know why your electricity costs what it does.