In Savannah, Georgia’s utility regulators faced public wrath over data centers — SkimNews
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- Georgia's Public Service Commission held its first meeting outside Atlanta in over a century, traveling to Savannah at Commissioner Alicia Johnson's request to hear from coastal residents about data centers and electricity costs.
- Public commenters demanded transparency around Georgia Power's contract with OpenAI for a planned Effingham County data center — described in the source as the largest single-customer contract since Georgia Power began reporting contracts in 2024.
- PSC Chair Jason Shaw, a Republican from south Georgia, acknowledged Georgia Power must share more unredacted information about its data center contracts, stating: "We've got to do a better job of forcing the company to be able to present more to us that's not redacted."
- Sierra Club organizer Michael Hawthorne asked the Savannah audience if electricity rates felt "reasonably priced," drawing a resounding "No" from the crowd and underscoring frustration over power bills.
- Commissioners clarified their limited jurisdiction, noting they only oversee electricity sales if a data center selects Georgia Power as its utility, and urged attendees to direct local concerns to local elected officials.
- Two newly-elected Democrats — Johnson and Peter Hubbard — have cast dissenting votes but acknowledged limited influence in the minority; November elections could deliver Democrats a PSC majority for the first time in decades, with early voting beginning October 13.
Why it matters: With two PSC seats on the November ballot, both Democratic candidates are running in an environment shaped by data center transparency demands and rate-hike anger. A Democratic majority would be the first in decades and could reshape how Georgia Power's contracts — including the record OpenAI deal — are scrutinized going forward.
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