ATLANTA - May 2, 2007 - Georgia Power will file plans for 2010 generation resource needs with the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) on April 17. The request will be for certification of three contracts totaling approximately 1,795 MegaWatts (MW) of capacity for use beginning June 1, 2010.

As part of its Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), Georgia Power was required to seek bids for new generation for the 2010 time frame. In the Request For Proposal (RFP) for 2010, there were 26 proposals from eight different companies totaling more than 10,000 MW of generation.

The new contracted electric capacity will come from three existing facilities, one owned by Tenaska Georgia Partners, L.P. (Tenaska) which has a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for the entire output of the plant with Exelon Generation Company, LLC (Exelon) and two owned by Southern Power Company (Southern Power). Georgia Power is contracting with Exelon and Southern Power. The PPAs with Southern Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company, are subject to approval by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The contracted facilities are:

·        Tenaska plant, a combustion turbine electric generating plant in Heard County, Georgia near Franklin. The PPA is for 15 years, with a near-term five year option for extension, to provide a total of 942 MW of capacity and associated energy.

·        Plant Dahlberg, a combustion turbine electric generating plant in Jackson County, Georgia north of Athens. The PPA is for 15 years to provide a total of 292 MW of capacity and associated energy.

·        Plant Wansley, a combined cycle electric generating plant also in Heard County near the community of Yellowdirt. The PPA is for 7 years to provide a total of 561 MW of capacity and associated energy.

“We identified a capacity need for generation beginning in the year 2010 due to expiring PPA’s and continued growth in the demand for electricity,” said Oscar Harper, Georgia Power’s vice president of governmental affairs and resource planning “We have reviewed all of the proposals, and believe that these three projects best suit the long-term economic and reliability needs of our customers.”

During the 2010 RFP process, the PSC used an independent evaluator (IE), Accion Group. The IE was involved in all facets of the RFP process including the oversight of the Standards of Conduct, the development and completion of all RFP documents such as the form PPAs, and the selection of the winning bids.  In addition, the IE and the PSC staff monitored the negotiation of the final contracts.

“This certification request represents a continuation of the forward-looking planning process utilized by Georgia Power and the PSC to ensure that there will be enough electricity available to meet Georgia’s demands in the future,” Harper said. “The IRP is designed to ensure that Georgians have the power they need at the best price available.”

Georgia Power is the largest subsidiary of Southern Company, one of the nation’s largest generators of electricity.  The company is an investor-owned, tax-paying utility, providing electricity to Georgia for more than a century.  Georgia Power operates in all but four of Georgia’s 159 counties and serves more than 2.3 million customers.