(The Center Square) – The Georgia Public Service Commission will hold hearings on a Georgia Power rate freeze on June 26, and a vote will take place on July 1, Chairman Jason Shaw said Wednesday.
Gov. Brian Kemp held a news conference touting the agreement between the utility and the commission.
“Our utility providers are at the table and are active partners in bringing jobs and investments to our state,” Kemp said. “As constitutional officer, the PSC members are also great partners in our constant work and the result as I have said many times over the last seven months, we’ve seen over 193,000 job announcements and over $90 billion in investment committee to Georgia just since 2019. And that’s just including projects where the state played a hand. “
The agreement announced Monday does allow Georgia Power to return to the Public Service Commission in 2026 to discuss recovery costs for the hurricanes that swept through the state in 2024.
“I think it’s perfectly reasonable,” Kemp said. “You know all our utility partners experienced extreme costs. We did in state government. But I think the good news for right now is the rates are going to be frozen.”
Georgia Power is allowed to have a rate case before the Public Service Commission as part of an agreement made in 2022. The pact also allowed three rate hikes, with the last occurring in January of this year, according to the Public Service Commission.
“We were looking at a normal cycle for a rate case, which would have been I guarantee you a rate increase request from the Georgia Power Company,” Shaw said. “The fact that we are standing here not going into a debate and a hearing process for a rate increase, we’re in a much better situation.”
Kemp and Shaw were also questioned about the timing of the announcement in light of an upcoming primary election for two seats on the commission. The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear a case challenging the at-large elections.
The General Assembly passed a bill in 2024 that delayed the election of new members until 2025 and 2026. A legal challenge regarding the state law was filed in July 2024.
“The timing to me doesn’t matter,” Kemp said of the upcoming election. “We are talking about an upcoming primary election for down ballot offices that’ll have to be decided in November. We’re not basing our calendars around here on what political elections are coming up.”
Republican incumbent Tim Echols, who represents the 2nd District on the commission, will face challenger Lee Muns in the June 17 primary. Alicia Johnson is the lone Democrat in the primary.
District 3 incumbent Fitz Johnson has no Republican challenger in the primary. Daniel Blackman, Peter Hubbard, Robert Jones and Keisha Sean Waites are vying for the Democratic nomination.
