EUHARLEE, Ga. — A major natural gas expansion at Georgia Power’s Plant Bowen will hurt air quality in the Atlanta region, which is already struggling with ozone pollution, according to environmental groups challenging a state air permit for the project.
The Georgia Environmental Protection Division in January issued a permit authorizing Georgia Power to build new turbines that will be powered by natural gas, a fossil fuel that is mostly methane, at the Bartow County power plant, which can currently produce about 3,500 megawatts of coal-fired power.
The utility backtracked on plans to retire the coal-fired units by 2028, saying it would need those units to help meet growing demand from data centers. The expansion, which is part of nearly 10,000 megawatts of new electric generating capacity approved by the Public Service Commission in December, largely to power data centers, will add about 1,500 megawatts of natural gas-fired capacity and 500 megawatts of battery energy storage.
During a groundbreaking event on Tuesday, state and federal officials called the expansion a step toward energy reliability and a stronger economy…