• Georgia Power has won approval for seven solar power purchase agreements totalling 1,137MW, with the projects expected online from 2029
  • CARES customers can subscribe to renewable production and associated certificates, but the programme does not provide continuous solar power to individual sites

The fact

Georgia Power said on 10 September that regulators had approved seven solar power purchase agreements totalling 1,137MW under its CARES 2023 and CARES 2025 procurement rounds. The projects are expected to begin operating as early as 2029, expanding the renewable generation available through the utility's Clean and Renewable Energy Subscription programme for eligible commercial and industrial customers.

CARES allows customers to subscribe to a proportional share of renewable production, with Georgia Power retiring the associated renewable energy certificates on their behalf. Customers must still go through the programme's allocation and agreement process before securing a share of the output. Georgia Power also opened a separate Customer Identified Resource option in June, allowing qualifying customers and developers to propose projects for utility review and contracting within an authorised capacity of up to 3,000MW.

The assessment

The approval gives large electricity users more renewable generation to pursue through CARES, but it does not make 1,137MW of solar immediately available to individual customers. The projects are expected online from 2029, and each subscriber must still secure an allocation and execute an agreement.

That distinction matters for data centres planning new capacity. A CARES subscription links a customer to a share of renewable production and the associated certificates; it does not mean the solar projects supply that facility in every hour. Operators still need separate arrangements to keep their sites continuously powered, while matching the renewable subscription to their own reporting commitments.

For BTW readers, timing is as important as the approved capacity. A data centre opening before the solar projects enter service cannot rely on them from day one. Project commissioning dates and customer subscription start dates will determine when the renewable attributes actually become available.

What to watch

Watch for Georgia Power to announce customer allocations and executed CARES agreements for the new solar output. Construction and commercial-operation dates for the seven projects will show when subscribed production can begin. Large data-centre customers may also disclose how those subscription dates align with new facilities entering service.