The Georgia Public Service Commission has recently approved Georgia Power’s three-year energy mix plan, which will include a focus on renewable energy. The addition of 2,210 megawatts of renewable energy will be the largest increase in state history and is enough to provide power to over 200,000 homes. 

The Commission also recommended the addition of 50 megawatts of biomass power and the closure of five coal-burning power plants, one near Savannah, GA and four more near Rome, GA. 

I determined Georgia has the ability to add significantly more renewable energy and solar energy using a market-based approach without any upward pressure on the rate payers and no state subsidies,” said Bubba McDonald, chairman of the Public Sevice Commission. “Solar, combined with nuclear power when Vogtle 3 and 4 go online, will give Georgians clean, reliable energy for years to come.”

Many environmental groups have praised the additions and recommendations. Others believe that this an important step to drastically cutting back on the use of fossil fuels.

Stephen Stetson, a member of the Sierra Club’s “Beyond Coal” campaign in Georgia, says that “although this result is more than the company first proposed, it’s still much less than Georgia needs.”