Georgia Power breaks ground on 1 GWh BESS near existing solar site

United States-based energy utility Georgia Power is building a 260 MW battery with just over 1 GWh of energy storage capacity beside an existing solar PV site and transmission infrastructure near the city of Wadley in Georgia’s Jefferson County.

The battery will store excess solar generation from the co-located solar facility for dispatch over a four-hour duration when demand for energy is highest on the grid. The project received approval from the Georgia Public Service Commission (Georgia PSC) and is due for completion in 2027 by Burns & McDonnell.

Kerry Bridges, region executive for Georgia Power, said the BESS would enable the utility to better serve its customers and support Georgia’s growth.

It is one of several batteries Georgia Power has in the works approved by Georgia PSC. “As we expand our energy mix to include more renewable sources, these batteries will play an invaluable role in helping ensure reliability and flexibility, particularly when renewable sources are not available,” said Bridges.

As well as the Wadley BESS, Georgia Power is due to complete four BESS facilities totaling 765 MW in the Bibb, Cherokee, Floyd and Lowndes counties. Two of these batteries – the 128 MW Robbins BESS in Bibb County and the 530 MW McGrau Ford Phase I and II BESS in Cherokee County – are also being built by Burns & McDonnell.

Crowder Industrial Construction is building the two smaller batteries – the 57.5 MW Hammond BESS in Floyd County and the 49.5 MW Moody BESS in Lowndes County.

The utility is also leaning into co-locating solar and storage projects more, with a further 350 MW across two solar-and-storage facilities planned in the state approved by Georgia PSC.

In total, Georgia PSC has approved nine new BESS projects across seven sites throughout Georgia, which are expected to add more than 3 GW of additional planned storage. This 3 GW figure does not include the 350 MW of co-located solar and storage approved.