History of Georgia Power in Timeline

Georgia Power is an electric utility company based in Atlanta, Georgia, that started as the Georgia Railway and Power Company in 1902. It began by operating Atlanta's streetcars after succeeding the Atlanta Consolidated Street Railway Company. It is the largest of four electric companies that make up Southern Company.

1902: Company Established and Streetcar Operations Begin

In 1902, Georgia Railway and Power Company was established and began operations, running streetcars in Atlanta as a successor to the Atlanta Consolidated Street Railway Company.

1902: Company Begins Streetcar Operations

In 1902, the Georgia Railway and Power Company began running streetcars in Atlanta as a successor to the Atlanta Consolidated Street Railway Company.

1937: Trolleybus Operations Begin

In 1937, Georgia Power began operating trolleybuses in Atlanta.

1950: Largest Trolley Bus System and Transit Strike

In 1950, Georgia Power's network of 31 electric bus routes was the largest trolley bus system in the United States. Following the Atlanta transit strike in 1950, the Atlanta Transit Company (ATC) took over operations.

2006: Plant Scherer Ranked Largest CO2 Source

According to Natural History Magazine, in 2006, Plant Scherer was the largest single point-source for carbon dioxide emissions in the United States.

2006: Merger with Savannah Electric & Power Company

In 2006, Savannah Electric & Power Company, a subsidiary of Southern Company, was merged into Georgia Power.

November 2007: Plant Scherer Ranked Among Top CO2 Producers Globally

In November 2007, Plant Scherer was ranked 20th in the world in terms of carbon dioxide emissions by the Center for Global Development. It was the only power plant in the United States listed among the world's top 25 carbon dioxide producers.

2011: Proposed Plant Mitchell Conversion

In 2011, Georgia Power asked for approval to convert the coal-fired Plant Mitchell to run on wood fuel, with the retrofit planned to begin in 2011.

2012: Planned Biomass Plant Operation Start

The biomass plant was scheduled to start operating in mid-2012.

2014: Plant Mitchell Decertification Announced

In 2014, Georgia Power announced it was decertifying Plant Mitchell and intended to close its operations.

April 2015: Intended Closure of Plant Mitchell

The intended closure of Plant Mitchell was set for April 2015.

2016: Plant Mitchell Shut Down

Plant Mitchell was shut down in 2016.

August 2018: Credit Rating Downgrade

In August 2018, Moody's downgraded Georgia Power's credit ratings from A3 to Baa1 following cost increases for building additional nuclear reactors at its Vogtle Electric Generating Plant.

September 2018: Agreement to Cover Additional Project Costs

In September 2018, Georgia Power agreed to pay a proportion of the costs of the smaller project partners if completion costs exceeded $9.2 billion to sustain the project.

2019: CEO Testifies Seeking Rate Increase

In 2019, Georgia Power's CEO, Paul Bowers, testified before state regulators seeking approval to add about $200 a year to the average residential customer's bills.

June 2021: Request for Rate Increase

In June 2021, Georgia Power sought a $235 million a year rates increase, an overall 10% increase in rates, to recover capital construction and operating costs once Vogtle unit 3 starts operation.