Georgia Power Uneconomic Unit Commitment
Sierra Club
Project Complete
Synapse's analysis looks at how often Georgia Power commits its generating units uneconomically. We define uneconomic commitment periods as the periods of time in which the unit’s operating costs (fuel and variable operations and maintenance costs) exceed the value of the generation produced by that unit. We find that Georgia Power has consistently chosen to commit its coal plants in place of less expensive generation, burdening ratepayers with costs well above the cost of energy from other available sources. For the purposes of this report, this cumulative $232 million difference represents excess costs incurred because of uneconomic commitment decisions by Georgia Power.