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Georgia Power Building Transmission Line to Meet Regional Power Demand Growth
Newsweek reported that power companies in five states are building or proposing transmission projects to handle rising electricity demand from data centers. The projects have led to negotiations and opposition over property acquisitions in residential and agricultural areas.
Jul 18, 5:00 AM·1m read1 source
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Georgia Power is constructing a transmission line to address demand that has exceeded the existing grid capacity. The utility estimates that 70 to 80 percent of the power on the new line will serve data centers, while the remainder supports residential and commercial growth. The project requires acquiring more than 300 parcels, including residential properties.
A Coweta County family reached an agreement to sell property to Georgia Power after the utility indicated it could pursue eminent domain. Georgia Power stated that eminent domain is always a last resort and that less than 1 percent of its land transactions involve the process.
The company said it has agreements with the majority of affected homeowners and is continuing negotiations with the remaining properties.
Similar projects have drawn opposition elsewhere. Dominion Energy’s Golden to Mars transmission project in Northern Virginia was approved by state regulators and could place a 185-foot power pole in an Ashburn homeowner’s yard. Farmers in Union and Lycoming counties, Pennsylvania, are opposing a proposed PPL Electric Utilities line intended to serve a data center complex planned by PNK Group.
In Maryland, the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project is a proposed 67-mile transmission line across Baltimore, Frederick, and Carroll counties. Public Service Enterprise Group has indicated it may use eminent domain if landowners do not agree to host the line.
AES Indiana is proposing an approximately 10-mile, 345-kilovolt transmission line in Morgan County related to Google’s planned data center near Monrovia.
