The Clean Energy Buyers Association (CEBA) today praised the Georgia Public Service Commission’s approval of a settlement agreement in Georgia Power’s 2025 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) that includes a new subscription option allowing commercial and industrial customers to work with developers to bring clean energy projects to Georgia Power’s system.

“With unprecedented economic development and electricity load growth in Georgia, energy customers want to be part of the solution,” said Katie Southworth, CEBA’s deputy director of market and policy innovation for the Southeast. “We appreciate Georgia Power’s collaboration in developing this Customer Identified Resource option that for the first time will allow commercial and industrial customers to bring carbon emissions-free energy projects to Georgia Power’s system. This is a meaningful step forward in helping customers match their growing energy needs with clean, customer-funded energy resources.”

CEBA last year secured a commitment from Georgia Power in the utility’s 2023 IRP Update to work with CEBA to develop a new customer clean energy program that would be included in the utility’s 2025 IRP request. CEBA and Georgia Power worked together throughout 2024 to discuss ideas for the new program.

Georgia Power proposed the Customer Identified Resource (CIR) option as an addition to its existing Clean and Renewable Energy Subscription (CARES) program in its IRP filing in January. The CIR option gives customers the opportunity to subscribe to additional renewable resources beyond Georgia Power’s initial procurement targets.

Customers can work directly with a project developer to submit a project bid in an extended phase of the utility’s request for proposals for renewable energy. Large customers will pay for the costs of the clean energy resource and in return will receive the renewable energy certificates (RECs) and credit for the energy value of the resource. Customers will be able to purchase up to 3,000 megawatts (MW) of customer identified resources through 2035, as part of Georgia Power’s plan to procure to up 4,000 MW of new renewable resources by 2035.

CEBA submitted expert testimony in May with recommendations to improve the proposed program, and the Public Service Commission approved two of those recommendations:

• The CIR option will begin earlier than proposed, as part of a second phase of Georgia Power’s 2025 CARES request for proposals, rather than waiting until a second phase of the utility’s planned 2026 renewable request for proposals; and

• Multiple customers will be allowed to coordinate to bring forward a single customer identified resource for procurement, to enable economies of scale.

CEBA will continue to coordinate with Georgia Power on final details of the program and has appreciated the partnership with the utility to date. The utility will file for approval of those details in a separate Public Service Commission docket.