Georgia Power received 27 proposals from 12 different companies in response to its request for proposal for 600-800 megawatts of electricity to meet demand in 2007. The total amount of electricity bid was more than 13,000 megawatts.

The majority of the bids came from companies who propose operating combined-cycle natural gas units to generate electricity. There were also bids from companies who propose using combustion-turbine natural gas units, coal units, wind turbines and a co-generation project to generate electricity.

The majority of the generation was bid from within the footprint of Southern Company, Georgia Power’s parent. Most of the plants are located in Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida. However, there is one bid from Arkansas.

“The number of companies bidding and the types of generation proposed is an indication that there is still a very healthy, competitive wholesale generation market in the Southeast,” said Larry White, director of Georgia Power’s Resource Policy and Planning department. “Electricity consumption in the state of Georgia continues to grow at a healthy rate, but the response to the RFP demonstrates that there will be enough power to meet those growing demands.”

The bids will be analyzed to determine the viability of the projects from a generation and transmission standpoint, as well as to determine the low-cost bidders, according to White. Georgia Power is planning on starting the certification process for the best projects at the Georgia Public Service Commission in the fourth quarter of 2003.