Utility company Southern is looking at 50 GW of possible new large load additions within the next 10 years, according to their third quarter earnings call. So far, they have officially signed on for 7 GW through 2029.
The utility serves 9 million customers across Alambama, Georgia, and Mississippi through several subsidiaries.
Overall, Southern is seeing sales growth of 8% annually through 2029. For their subsidiary Georgia Power specifically, they are seeing 12% through the same period. To meet this growth, they are proposing five gas combined cycle units and 11 battery energy storage facilities.
Where is this growth coming from? Several key customer categories, including the following announced during their third quarter report:
- 12,000 new residential users
- 17% increase in data center usage compared to the same time last year
- more industrial usage, thanks to the primary metals and electronics sectors
Their third quarter earnings hit $1.7 billion compared with $1.5 billion in the same period last year.
