Georgia Power is moving ahead with a grid expansion plan that includes building more than 1,000 miles of new transmission lines across five projects to support electricity demand tied to AI data center development. The utility plans to add about 10 gigawatts of new generating capacity over the next five years under a 2025 Integrated Resource Plan approved by the Georgia Public Service Commission.
One segment, the Ashley Park-Wansley Transmission Project, will run roughly 35 miles through Fayette, Heard, Fulton and Coweta counties, affecting more than 330 parcels of land. Georgia Power says nearly 30 residential properties must be acquired to complete the route, with some owners negotiating direct sales and others facing possible eminent domain proceedings, though the utility says that step is used in less than 1% of its land transactions.
Georgia Power has disputed characterizations of the project as being built specifically for data centers, but a December 2025 agreement between the utility and the state Public Service Commission states that roughly 80% of a nearly 10,000-megawatt generation plan tied to these upgrades is expected to serve data centers. The utility projects the buildout will lower costs for residential customers by an estimated $102 a year starting in 2029, funded by higher rates charged to large industrial customers.
Attorneys representing affected landowners say permanent utility easements carry long-term restrictions on property use even after a sale, extending the impact of the transmission buildout well beyond the towers themselves.
Source: Fortune - https://fortune.com/2026/07/26/georgia-power-utility-company-eminent-domain-grid-expansion-data-center/