(Georgia Recorder) — The Georgia Public Service Commission is set to hold final hearings this week on Georgia Power’s request to approve nearly 10,000 megawatts of new energy capacity.

The request, which the utility argues is needed for reliability and economic growth, will likely come to a final vote later this month after commissioners hear from several groups, including environmental advocates, Georgia Power and commission staff, which is recommending the panel sign off on a smaller increase. Critics said the utility’s plan could burden ratepayers with future bill increases to pay for projected data center growth that may not materialize.

Georgia Power and environmental groups have clashed over who should bear the risk associated with the unprecedented energy demand forecast, which is heavily influenced by an explosion of proposed data centers across the state.

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Matthew Kent, spokesperson for Georgia Power, defended the utility’s proposal, arguing that the full 9,900 megawatts are not just needed to support energy-hungry data centers. Kent said the added capacity would also help fill the gap left by expiring contracts while having backup power.

“Staff’s recommendation would significantly inhibit Georgia Power’s ability to contract with new large load customers, stifle economic development growth in Georgia, compromise the efforts the Company and Commission have taken to ensure industry-leading reliability, and reduce the opportunity to place downward pressure on rates for all customers,” Kent said in a statement.

Kent said the utility’s forecast is already materializing, citing contracts representing nearly 2,000 megawatts of energy that he said have been signed in the last six months.

But critics of the plan, including PSC staff and advocates, warn that approving the full request, which is about five Hoover Dams’ worth of power according to the Southern Environmental Law Center, would expose customers to more potential bill increases, especially if the expected surge in data centers fizzles. If approved in its entirety, Georgia Power customers’ energy bills could increase by $20 per month, according to PSC staff tasked with representing utility consumers.

The staff recommended the commission certify about one-third of Georgia Power’s request, just over 3,000 megawatts of power. This is based on the capacity needed to serve existing contracts and would provide a 305-megawatt cushion for additional data center growth.

The staff also recommends conditional approval for another 4,298 megawatts of resources, which includes two proposed natural gas plants. The condition would require Georgia Power to secure signed contracts with new data center customers before the commission approves the buildout costs, which could then be passed on to residential customers.

Bob Sherrier, a lawyer with the Southern Environmental Law Center representing environmental groups, said the compromise proposed by commission staff could help limit the risk that costs associated with building energy infrastructure are passed on to customers if demand from data centers doesn’t fully materialize.

“We’re not going to certify them, guarantee they show up on bills, until Georgia Power signs a contract for a data center customer, to show there’s a real need for that power,” Sherrier said.

The upcoming vote comes after a consequential election in which two incumbent commissioners lost their seats to Democrats who campaigned on energy affordability, blasting the commission’s approval of a series of Georgia Power rate increases. A petition by environmental groups to delay this month’s vote until the two new commissioners are seated in January was denied by the current commission, which is composed of five Republicans.

Environmental advocates are also pushing back against allowing new natural gas plants, which typically have long lifespans.

Isabella Ariza, an attorney with the Sierra Club, said that the cost of building these plants could be passed on to customers for decades. Ariza said the Sierra Club is highly critical of this long-term commitment because it’s based on “a speculative and inflated load forecast” and that the gas plants are “not cost-effective.”

“Our expert found that McIntosh is the most expensive gas plant that’s being built in the United States,” Ariza said, referring to a facility near Savannah.

Interveners argue that Georgia Power should prioritize lower-risk, cleaner, and more flexible resources, such as battery storage and solar-plus-storage projects that store excess daytime energy for use at night.

Ariza said that battery storage is “more cost-effective” and has a “much shorter lifespan.” This shorter 20-year lifespan is preferred because if “all of these data centers decide to leave the state in 10 or 15 years at best, then the ratepayers won’t get stuck with the bill for an additional couple of decades.”

Stephen Smith, executive director of Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, argued Georgia Power is prioritizing shareholder profits over consumer interests by not pursuing renewable, cost-effective energy, likely because he argued the utility stands to benefit financially from natural gas rather than green energy.

“Solar and storage are not only the most cost-effective, but they’re also ones that can be deployed usually quicker than the fossil gas generation,” Smith said.

Doha Medani, organizing director for Georgia Conservation Voters Education Fund, framed the massive build-out proposal in terms of kitchen-table economics.

“The decisions that are made today are going to impact people for years and years to come, and so it’s our hope that the commissioners will listen to what people have put forth,” Medani said, pointing to Georgia’s recent election.

The commission hearings are scheduled to run through Friday, with a final decision expected on Dec. 19.