Georgia Senate committee passes bill to force data centers to pay more for power

The Senate Regulated Industries Committee has advanced a measure requiring data centers to pay for the massive amounts of electricity they use.

Five Democrats and three Republicans voted in favor of Senate Bill 34, which advanced on an 8-5 vote.

“We’ve got massive, massive costs coming with these data centers, and I think they deserve to know that it’s codified into law that they won’t be getting those costs,” WSB-TB quoted state Sen. Chuck Hufstetler, R-Rome, as saying.

Last month, the Georgia Public Service Commission approved a new rule allowing Georgia Power to charge new data centers to protect ratepayers from higher costs. The new rule stems from the Public Service Commission’s unanimous approval of the interim Integrated Resource Plan in April 2024, which added extra capacity to Georgia’s power grid.