(The Center Square) – Data center companies interested in Georgia will have a new Democratic-majority Public Service Commission and a governor who wants to take a closer look at their development.
The data center boom has not shown signs of slowing down, with five new Development of Regional Impact filings in October alone, according to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.
The latest, filed Oct. 29, is a 1.5-million-square-foot facility situated on 235 acres in Fulton County’s Union City.
Georgia Conservation Voters and its affiliated PAC, Georgia Conservation Voters Action Fund, poured $4.3 million in two election cycles for Democratic Public Service Commission candidates, the organization said.
Democrat Peter Hubbard won a July 2025 special election, ousting Fitz Johnson, who was appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp to serve the remainder of the term of Chuck Eaton, who was appointed to the Fulton County Superior Court, according to election results from the Georgia Secretary of State.
Hubbard defeated Johnson again on Tuesday and was elected to a full term. Democrat Sheila Edwards won an open seat on Tuesday by defeating Republican Josh Tolbert. Hubbard and Edwards join Democrat Alicia Johnson, who was also elected in July 2025 by defeating long-time commissioner Tim Echols.
The commission is chaired by Republican Jason Shaw. Republican Lauren McDonald will be the only other Republican on the commission in January after Edwards and Hubbard are sworn into office.
Georgia Conservation Voters surveyed Georgia residents about their feelings on data centers before the election.
“And pretty much what we saw was what we’ve heard all year across the country,” said Brionté McCorkle, executive director of Georgia Conservation Voters, in an interview with The Center Square. “People are very concerned about data centers. And more importantly, they’re concerned about their costs going up because of data centers. The Public Service Commission is one of the only lines of defense that people have to be protected from data center costs showing up on their power bills.”
In 2025, the Public Service Commission unanimously voted to approve Georgia Power’s plan for a 10 gigawatt grid expansion, primarily to benefit data centers. Reports estimated that between 80% and 85% of the expansion would be for data center growth.
The utility company returned to the commission in 2026, requesting funds to offset recovery costs related to Hurricane Helene in 2024. The agreement, approved by the commission, would reduce ratepayers’ power bills by $4 per month, according to Georgia Power. Georgia Power reduced its original fuel balance request by $13 million and shaved off $100 million from its storm recovery request, according to the agreement provided by the commission.
Hubbard wanted more accountability. His amendment, which would have required Georgia Power to examine transportation costs, the efficiency of the natural gas hedging program, and coal dispatch, was defeated 3-2 by the then-Republican majority board. The commission voted along party lines with Republican members Jason Shaw, Tricia Pridemore and Bubba McDonald voting yes, and Democrats Hubbard and Alicia Johnson voting no.
“In this moment, we could have a commission that would protect people and say, if we’re going to need to build stuff, make it clean,” McCorkle said. “And if we’re going to build stuff, make the data centers pay for it.”
Democratic Gov.-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms has said she will call for a pause on data center development but has not specified how long the pause could last.
“As I am moving around the state, there are some areas that are saying we want the economic benefit from these data centers,” Bottoms said in an August campaign event in Ringgold covered by The Center Square. “There are others who are saying that it is a complete disaster on our water system and on our environment. As a state, and as leaders, it is our responsibility to take a pause to completely and objectively assess where we are and then chart a path forward.”
Some concerns about data centers are overblown, said Debbie Jennings, senior policy manager with the nonprofit National Taxpayers Union, in an interview with The Center Square. Data centers provide additional tax revenue to a community and sometimes sign agreements for community projects, she said.
“Moratoriums not only pause development but it also pauses any negotiation that you could make with individual developers,” Jennings said. “You’re shutting yourself out from those discussions on any specific benefits you want to get for your taxpayers such as property tax revenue and great infrastructure upgrades.”