GEORGIA BUSINESS FOCUS: Georgia Power says OpenAI deal could save customers $15 monthly

Georgia Power says a typical residential customer could save $15 a month beginning in 2029, while OpenAI will pay its infrastructure costs upfront.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — The contract between Georgia Power and artificial intelligence leader OpenAI has been approved by the Georgia Public Service Commission. 

The new facility would be located in Effingham County, about 45 minutes outside of Savannah. The agreement is expected to deliver savings to Georgia Power’s residential customers.  According to Georgia Power spokesperson Amanda Sowells, the typical residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours per month can expect to see savings of $15 per month, or $180 per year, beginning in 2029. 

Sowells says OpenAI, along with other large corporate customers, will be responsible for all infrastructure costs required for their electricity usage and they must be paid upfront.

“Any power lines, any substations, any infrastructure they may need, they are responsible for paying for that infrastructure, and that infrastructure all feeds back into the grid that we all use,” Sowells said.

Georgia Power’s policy of requiring large-load customers to pay for their infrastructure up front, and to sign long-term contracts, sets Georgia apart from other states and ensures that the costs of major new projects will not be passed down to customers.

The company is also working closely with the Georgia Public Service Commission to expand power generation facilities statewide.

“We are committed to making sure that we’re doing what we need to do to expand power generation resources and making sure that we are being environmentally conscious in that planning process,” Sowells added.

Additionally, the agreement with OpenAI includes a flexible demand response component. This allows Georgia Power to reduce energy delivered to the facility during periods of high demand, supporting grid reliability and enabling the company to invest in fewer new generation resources.

Georgia Power says these new large-load contracts, including the one with OpenAI, are projected to provide approximately $950 million in annual savings beginning in 2029.