Three Republican candidates are vying for their party’s nomination in District 5, a seat that is based in western Georgia, but which is voted on statewide.

The PSC races will decide the balance of power on the state’s top utility regulator, which oversees Georgia Power and its rates.

The Georgia Public Service Commission signed off on the Customer Identified Resource program, which lets companies contract directly with renewable energy developers.

Consumer advocates and environmentalists had pushed the General Assembly to protect regular Georgians from the growth of data centers.

Georgia Power is required to take steps to contain the coal ash at 11 sites across the state to prevent the toxic materials from leaking into groundwater.

The Georgia Senate Friday morning passed a bill that would repeal the sales tax exemptions through 2028 and 2031, respectively.

Critics argue the changes would come at a time when the right whale population is at a critical juncture and could use stronger protections.

The loans are designed to support a slew of new power generation and transmission grid upgrades as Georgia sees an influx of energy-hungry data centers.

Chris Womack, Southern Co.'s CEO, called 2025 an “outstanding” year. Revenues rose but profits were slightly down from 2024 because of higher maintenance and other costs.

The company’s plan still needs to be approved by the PSC, after hearings that are set to unfold over the next few months.