Dear editor,
Georgia Power and the state Public Service Commission recently reached an agreement in which Georgia Power will maintain its current base electricity rates for the next three years, but will limit public scrutiny of the rate-making process and Georgia Power’s finances (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, May 20, 2025).
This agreement is yet to be approved by the five members of the PSC. For those of us who are GP ratepayers, this is not necessarily good news.
Over the past year and a half, my residential monthly electric bill from GP (on a “balanced” monthly billing plan) has increased from $220 to $355.
Other Georgians have experienced similar increases. This significant increase in the cost of residential electricity is just one of the many new financial hardships that families in Georgia have had to bear. With the additional cost-of-living increases added to families’ monthly expenses (water, food, housing, fuel, and insurance rates for homes and automobiles), many Georgians are living on the brink of financial disaster.
It seems as if the PSC has “been in bed” with the Southern Company (SC, parent of GP) in recent years. Much of the increase in electric bills for ratepayers has resulted from the PSC’s approval of passing on to its ratepayers the overrun costs of the infamous, some say “ill-advised,” Vogtle nuclear power plant, two of whose four units have yet to begin operation.
Of course, additional expenses have arisen from the storm damage of Hurricane Helene. GP plans to ask the PSC soon to allow it to collect from its ratepayers the costs of repairing damage to power lines caused by Helene. However, in the Southeastern United States, the risk of hurricane damage is nothing new and should be a part of advance financial planning for every public utility.
Unfortunately, since the last election of PSC commissioners, the sitting commissioners have, usually against the advice of their technical staff, approved nearly all rate increases and other proposals presented to them by GP.
While a spokesman for GP states that the agreement cited above balances the “affordability needs of our customers while ensuring Georgia Power remains equipped to continue its support of our state’s incredible growth,” it seems more likely that GP is mostly concerned with its own financial growth and “bottom line.”
GP’s target rate of return (established by the PSC in 2022) is 10.5%, and this is higher than the average for U.S. electric utilities (according to S&P Global).
So, is the intent of the sitting commissioners on the PSC to protect the rate of return for investors in GP, rather than to serve the best interests of the citizens of Georgia and GP ratepayers? The record over the past few years surely indicates that this is the case.
There has not been an election for PSC Commissioners since 2022. Two commissioners, Tim Echols (District 2) and Fitz Johnson (District 3), who are Republicans, will be on the ballot in the upcoming election on June 17.
Both of these commissioners have voted for every electric power rate increase and allowed GP to pass on the cost overruns from Vogtle to its ratepayers, despite recommendations from their trained technical staff to the contrary.
Since the role of members of the PSC should be “watchdogs” for the public interest rather than “lap dogs” for the utility industry for which they are supposedly providing responsible oversight, I would recommend voting for someone other than Tim Echols or Fitz Johnson.
New blood and a new mindset are urgently needed on the PSC. The election is on Tuesday, June 17. Please vote then or participate in early voting, which began on May 27. Let’s give the “power” back to Georgia citizens!
Roger A. Meyer, MD, Greensboro