56258

The financial and timeline risks and concerns discussed in this docket include:

- If the Twiggs County BESS project is not certified by the commission, Georgia Power would request that any incurred costs not useful or transferable to other projects be deferred to a regulatory asset for recovery in the next base rate case, which exposes the company and ratepayers to stranded cost risk 1, 1.
- The expedited RFP process and tight commercial operation date requirement (December 1, 2027) limited the number of viable proposals, as many could not meet the timeline without significant transmission improvements, raising the risk of schedule delays or lack of competitive alternatives 2.
- The selection of the Twiggs County site was based on minimizing timeline and cost risks by leveraging existing infrastructure (co-location with a solar facility), thereby avoiding long lead times and costs associated with constructing new substations or major network upgrades 2, 3.
- The cost-benefit analysis incorporated a comprehensive review of direct and indirect costs, anticipated benefits, and potential risks, including project implementation timelines and long-term viability of the capacity resource, to ensure alignment with strategic objectives and to mitigate both financial and scheduling uncertainties 3, 1.
- There is a risk of higher prices or market inefficiency if sensitive cost information becomes public, which could harm Georgia Power and its customers by artificially inflating supplier bids 3.

Based on the provided excerpts, the following stakeholders are involved in the docket regarding Georgia Power Company's application for certification of the Twiggs County Battery Energy Storage System (BESS):

- Georgia Power Company: The applicant, proposing the certification and construction of the Twiggs County BESS project. Georgia Power is advocating for approval and certification, asserting that the project is needed to meet winter 2027/2028 capacity, is cost-effective, and in the public interest 1.
- Georgia Public Service Commission (Commission): The regulatory authority responsible for reviewing and deciding on the application. The Commission also established the procedural and scheduling order for this proceeding. The Commission must decide whether to approve, deny, or modify the requests made by Georgia Power 2.
- Public Interest Advocacy (PIA) Staff: Appointed by the Commission as the agent for discovery and acting as a party to the case, responsible for performing an independent evaluation of the case from the standpoint of promoting public interest and just and reasonable rates 2.
- Independent Evaluator (IE): Oversaw the RFP process alongside Commission staff to ensure efficient and transparent procurement of resources 3.

The excerpts do not identify any interveners or explicitly list any parties opposing the proposals. The procedural order indicates that interveners may participate, and hearings are scheduled for their testimony, but no specific opposition positions or names are given in the provided material 2.

Summary:
- Georgia Power is for the proposal (certification of the Twiggs County BESS).
- The Commission and its PIA staff are tasked with impartial review; their final position is not stated.
- No explicit opposition or supporting interveners are named in the excerpts.

The primary area of growth identified in this docket is the projected increase in peak electricity demand and corresponding capacity needs for Georgia Power over the period 2025–2044. Key considerations related to this growth include:

- Rapidly rising peak demand: Georgia Power's summer peak demand is projected to grow from 17,716 MW in 2025 to 31,419 MW in 2044, while winter peak demand increases from 16,236 MW in 2024/2025 to 29,446 MW in 2043/2044 1, 1, 2.
- Capacity shortfalls: As demand grows, Georgia Power's owned generating capacity does not keep pace, resulting in increasingly negative reserve margins. For example, by 2030 the summer reserve margin is projected at -12%, and by 2044 it falls to -51% unless additional resources are added 1, 1.
- Procurement of energy storage: The company sought up to 500 MW of battery energy storage system (BESS) resources through an expedited RFP process, ultimately selecting the 200 MW Twiggs County BESS project to address part of the near-term capacity shortfall 1, 1, 3.
- Cost recovery and regulatory treatment: Georgia Power proposes to recover the costs associated with new storage projects in its rate base, with regulatory treatment consistent with existing generation assets 1, 1.
- Ongoing planning and updates: Capacity projections and resource needs are updated regularly through the IRP process, incorporating new forecasts, completed procurements, and anticipated contracts 1, 1.

In summary, the docket identifies significant load growth as the central challenge, with key considerations focusing on meeting this demand through procurement of additional capacity (notably BESS), managing cost recovery, and ensuring regulatory compliance.

Docket No. 56258 concerns Georgia Power Company's application for certification of the Twiggs County Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), selected through the Winter 2027-2028 BESS Request for Proposals (RFP). The Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) authorized this expedited RFP as part of the 2023 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) Update, targeting procurement of between 300 and 500 MW of BESS capacity to meet projected capacity needs for winter 2027/2028. The RFP required projects to have commercial operation dates no later than December 1, 2027, and to meet specific criteria, including being at least 50 MW, four-hour duration, located in Georgia, interconnected to the Southern Company transmission system, and designed for automatic generation control.

The Twiggs County BESS project—a 200 MW, four-hour duration, company-owned facility co-located with an existing solar installation—was selected as the winning project after a competitive and independently evaluated RFP process. Georgia Power conducted a rigorous cost-benefit analysis to confirm the project's value. The application seeks a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity from the PSC to proceed, with the final amount of capacity procured to be determined during the certification proceeding based on projected needs. Hearings, discovery, and deadlines are established in the procedural and scheduling order, with a final PSC decision expected by September 2, 2025, and a statutory deadline for certification by December 23, 2025 1, 2.

Key events and scheduled submissions in the Twiggs County BESS proceeding include:

- August 9, 2024: Georgia Power issued the Winter 2027-2028 BESS RFP seeking approximately 500 MW of capacity, with in-service dates on or before November 30, 2027 1.
- August 23, 2024: Georgia Power filed revised RFP documents. Commission approval (with modification) occurred on September 24, 2024 2.
- September 13, 2024: Deadline for company-owned BESS RFP proposal submissions. For other bids, the deadline was September 16, 2024 2.
- November 7, 2024: Deadline for remaining bidders to post bid security 2.
- December 28, 2024: One bid was released due to a commercial operation date issue 2.
- April 24, 2025: Anticipated extension deadline for finalizing RFP evaluations and shortlist 2.
- May 14, 2025: Georgia Power completed evaluation of competitive tier bids and selected the Twiggs County BESS project for certification 2.
- May 22, 2025: Reserve list proposals were released due to inability to achieve the required commercial operation date 2.
- June 20, 2025: Georgia Power filed its application for certification of the Twiggs County BESS project with the Commission 1, 3.
- June 26, 2025: Certification fee of $101,003.49 to be paid by Georgia Power for the Commission’s review of its certificate filing 4.
- July 15, 2025 (no later than): Georgia Power to give first notice of its proceedings in this case 4.
- 30 days after first notice: Deadline for parties to file applications to intervene in the proceeding 4.

The proceeding will also include a hearing and potential subsequent steps as ordered by the Commission 3.