Wedoany.com Report-May 9, Georgia Power, a U.S.-based electric utility, has started building new battery energy storage systems (BESS) across Georgia, with a total capacity of 765MW. Approved by the Georgia Public Service Commission through the Integrated Resource Plan, these systems will deliver fast-responding power to meet customer needs.
The systems are sanctioned by the Georgia Public Service Commission through the Integrated Resource Plan.
The initiative builds on the company’s first BESS facility at Mossy Branch, which began operating in 2024. Construction is now underway at four key locations: the 128MW Robins BESS in Bibb County, located alongside an existing solar facility near Robins Air Force Base; the Moody BESS in Lowndes County; the Hammond BESS in Floyd County; and the McGrau Ford Phase I and II BESS in Cherokee County.
The Hammond site uses existing infrastructure to reduce the need for new transmission facilities, lowering costs. Burns & McDonnell is overseeing this project, with operations expected to start in June 2026. The Hammond and Moody projects, managed by Crowder Industrial Construction, are scheduled to be operational in May and November 2026, respectively.
The largest project, McGrau Ford Phase I and II in Cherokee County, will provide a combined 530MW. By utilizing company-owned land and Burns & McDonnell for construction, Georgia Power aims to streamline costs and contracting. These projects are set to begin operations in September and October 2026.
Rick Anderson, Georgia Power’s senior vice-president and senior production officer, stated: “At Georgia Power, we work with the Georgia PSC and many other stakeholders to make the investments required for a reliable and resilient power grid, integrating new technologies to better serve our customers today and as Georgia grows. As we expand our diverse energy mix to include more renewable energy, which requires careful advance planning and flexibility to accommodate times when that source is not available, these batteries will be an invaluable part of the electric system.”
Georgia Power is also working with the Georgia Public Service Commission to acquire an additional 1GW of BESS capacity through competitive bidding. Additionally, the company is developing a 13MW demonstration project at Fort Stewart, an army installation near Savannah, Georgia.
To support customer-focused energy solutions, the 2025 Integrated Resource Plan includes expansions to the customer-connected solar program and introduces a solar-plus-storage pilot, targeting an initial 50MW of capacity. These efforts aim to enhance the reliability and flexibility of Georgia’s energy grid while incorporating more renewable energy sources.
