The Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) has verified with Energy-Storage.news that it voted unanimously 3 December, to certify utility Georgia Power’s plans to build 500MW of battery energy storage systems (BESS) across four locations.
In September, Georgia Power secured a battery and equipment supply agreement (BESA) with Tesla, using the company’s 3.9MWh 2XL Megapacks for the four BESS projects.
Enjoy 12 months of exclusive analysis
- Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
- In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
- Annual digital subscription to the PV Tech Power journal
- Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual
Or continue reading this article for free
This followed the August news that Georgia Power submitted a 2023 update for the company’s Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), upping targets for renewable energy and storage, including the application for the BESS projects.
The details of the four Georgia Power BESS projects:
| Name | Location | MW/MWh | Engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) company | Project type | Commercial operation date (COD) |
| Robins BESS | Warner Robins, Bibb County | 128MW/512MWh | Burns and McDonnell | Co-located with solar | Expected June 2026 |
| Moody BESS | Valdosta, Lowndes County | 49.5MW/198MWh | Crowder | Co-located with solar | Expected May 2026 |
| Hammond Bess | Rome, Floyd County | 57.5MW/230MWh | Crowder | Standalone | Expected November 2026 |
| McGrau Ford Phase II | Ball Ground, Cherokee County | 265MW/1,060MWh | Burns and McDonnell | Standalone | Expected September 2026 |
The order granting certification for the four projects has designated the in-service costs as trade secrets at the time of publication. However, the utility is required to submit quarterly reports to the PSC while the BESS are under construction.
In November, Georgia Power completed the 65MW/260MWh Mossy Branch Battery Facility project. This was the first BESS the company built to own and operate.
The EPC for Mossy Branch was Finnish-headquartered system integrator and BESS manufacturer Wärtsilä. The company also acted as the BESS equipment supplier.
Georgia Power also contracted for energy storage capacity in 2022 from developer RWE’s 196MW solar PV, 40MW/80MWh battery storage project Hickory Park, in Mitchell County, Georgia.
