Georgia Power Begins Construction on 765 MW Battery Storage Projects

Georgia Power announced that construction is underway on 765-megawatts (MW) of new battery energy storage systems (BESS) strategically located across Georgia in Bibb, Lowndes, Floyd and Cherokee counties.

The BESS projects were authorized by the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) through the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) process and provide quickly dispatchable capacity for customers. The new projects follow the company’s first-ever BESS facility at Mossy Branch near Columbus, which entered service last year.

BESS projects support the overall reliability and resilience of the electric system, while also enhancing the value of intermittent renewable generation resources such as solar. Storage systems can improve the efficiency of renewable energy by storing excess energy produced during periods when the demand for electricity is lower, for use when the demand is higher, such as on cold winter mornings. Because battery storage can provide stored energy to the grid for hours on demand, BESS resources enhance the overall reliability of the electric system. 

“At Georgia Power, we work with the Georgia PSC and many other stakeholders to make the investments required for a reliable and resilient power grid, integrating new technologies to better serve our customers today and as Georgia grows,” said Rick Anderson, senior vice president and senior production officer for Georgia Power. “As we expand our diverse energy mix to include more renewable energy, which requires careful advance planning and flexibility to accommodate times when that source is not available, these batteries will be an invaluable part of the electric system.”   

Construction is in progress at several battery energy storage system (BESS) sites across Georgia. In Bibb County, the Robins BESS project (128 MW) is situated next to an existing solar facility near Robins Air Force Base. This setup allows Georgia Power to use existing infrastructure, removing the need to build new transmission GSU substations and avoiding additional costs and delays related to transmission interconnection and network upgrades. Burns & McDonnell is handling the engineering and construction, with operations expected to begin in June 2026.

In Lowndes County, the 49.5 MW Moody BESS project is similarly located next to a solar facility near Moody Air Force Base. This co-location offers infrastructure advantages like those at the Robins site, supporting faster deployment and reliable transmission. Crowder Industrial Construction is overseeing this project, which is scheduled to start operations in May 2026.

The 57.5 MW Hammond BESS in Floyd County is a standalone installation utilizing the infrastructure of the decommissioned Plant Hammond coal facility. By repurposing the former generation site and using existing transmission capacity, the project provides cost-effective capacity support for customers. Crowder Industrial Construction is also leading this project, with a planned operational date of November 2026.

In Cherokee County, the McGrau Ford Phase I & II BESS projects (530 MW combined) are being built on company-owned land, where prior site work and contracts are already in place. This setup allows Georgia Power to streamline construction and expand existing substation infrastructure without starting from scratch. Burns & McDonnell is managing both phases, with Phase I expected to be operational in October 2026 and Phase II in September 2026.