(The Center Square) – Georgia Power will freeze its rates for three years, according to an agreement with the Public Service Commission announced Monday.
As part of the agreement, Georgia Power will not file for recovery expenses related to Hurricane Helene until 2026. Those expenses were expected to be a significant part of the 2025 rate case.
“Energy customers have seen unprecedented inflation in the energy sector across the U.S.,” said Jason Shaw, chairman of the Public Service Commission, in a news release. “My fellow Commissioners and I urged staff and Georgia Power to come to some agreement where base rates would not increase. This is nothing but good news for Georgia Power ratepayers. I look forward to delving into the details of this agreement as we conduct our public hearings.”
The utility received approval for a base rate increase in 2022. Monday’s agreement extends the 2022 pact for three more years. It also includes a provision adopted by the commission earlier this year that requires large-load customers such as data centers to foot the costs instead of passing them on to other rate payers, the commission said.
The commission will discuss a hearing schedule for the agreement at a meeting on Tuesday but no other comments will be made by the commissioners until the hearings, according to the news release.
