NEW REPORT: Mississippi Power Failing to Lower Costs & Pollution

A new report from the Sierra Club gives Mississippi Power a score of 44 out of 100 for its plans to cut costs and pollution, part of an annual review of utilities across the country. The utility plans to retire all of its coal power, about 1.8 million megawatts, but it also plans to add 548 megawatts of new gas-fired power by 2035 and zero new renewable energy like solar or wind. Nationally, the 76 utilities reviewed scored just 7 out of 100 as a group, the lowest average since the report began.

For homeowners, the mix of power plants a utility builds affects electric bills over time. Renewable energy is generally the cheapest way to generate electricity, while gas and coal plants cost more to run and pollute more. A utility that leans on new gas plants instead of renewables, as Mississippi Power is doing, tends to keep bills higher and pollution levels up rather than bringing them down.

The report's authors point to rising electricity demand from data centers, particularly those running artificial intelligence, as one reason utilities are turning to fossil fuel plants rather than clean energy. If you get your power from Mississippi Power, this report suggests your utility is not currently planning to shift toward cheaper renewable sources, which matters if you're weighing what home energy upgrades might help offset costs on your own end.