Georgia's energy capacity: additions and retirements, 2000-2024

Natural Gas Increases: From 2000 to the early 2010s, natural gas dominated capacity additions in Georgia, consistent with a broader shift in the U.S. Today, natural gas remains a large component of Georgia’s power mix, providing approximately 41% of the state’s net electricity generation.

Coal’s Decline: Coal-fired generation, once responsible for over a third of the state’s electricity through the early 2010s, has steadily declined. Since 2013, Georgia retired roughly 6,100 MW of coal capacity, with notable retirements at Harllee Branch, Yates, and Kraft (2015); Hammond (2019); and Wansley and Scherer (2022). By 2024, coal’s contribution had fallen to around 13 % of in-state generation.

Nuclear Expansion at Plant Vogtle: Georgia experienced a landmark nuclear expansion with the commissioning of Vogtle Unit 3 in 2023 and Unit 4 in 2024. Together, these units added more than 2,200 MW of summer capacity, making Plant Vogtle the largest nuclear power plant in the United States. This expansion elevated Georgia to the third-largest nuclear power-producing state, with nuclear energy now supplying 34 % of Georgia’s total generation.

Significant Solar Growth: Solar PV capacity has surged since the late 2010s, making solar the most frequently added source of summer capacity in recent years—except for the two years dominated by Vogtle’s nuclear additions. Since 2021, three solar facilities exceeding 200 MW each have come online, underscoring the scale of Georgia’s solar buildout. By 2024, solar had become the largest renewable energy source in the state, contributing nearly 7 % of total generation. Since 2021, Georgia has seen additions of grid-scale storage technologies (see Batteries below) that complement renewable additions.