Projected electricity demand from data centers proposed across Georgia may exceed the supply Georgia Power has been approved to deliver, according to an analysis discussed by the nonprofit Science for Georgia.
In 2025, the Georgia Public Service Commission gave Georgia Power permission to substantially expand the volume of electricity it generates and sells, with data center growth cited as the driver. Amy Sharma, executive director of Science for Georgia, told Georgia Public Broadcasting that her group estimates total data center demand in the state at between 29 gigawatts and 58 gigawatts. She described a gigawatt as roughly the output of one nuclear reactor or half of Hoover Dam, and noted that the four reactors at Plant Vogtle together produce a little over 4 gigawatts.
Sharma said Georgia has about 81 proposed new data centers, and only 25 of them have disclosed how much power they will require. Her organization used square footage as an alternative method for estimating power needs where disclosures are missing, a method that produces a different figure than the utility's own planning numbers.
The gap is already visible in at least one pending arrangement. Georgia Power CEO Chris Womack told shareholders that once the Effingham County OpenAI data center agreement is finalized, the company will have committed 1 gigawatt more electrical capacity than regulators have approved it to provide.
The Daily Signal published the report on August 17, 2026, drawing on an interview conducted by Georgia Public Broadcasting's Peter Biello.
Source: The Daily Signal - https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/08/17/georgia-data-centers-power/