Georgia Power installs high-efficiency natural gas turbines at Plant Yates, promising savings and new jobs
Georgia Power says it has reached a major milestone in its push to modernize how electricity is generated in the state, unveiling new natural gas technology at Plant Yates in Coweta County that the company says could both cut costs for customers and boost employment across the region.
The utility is installing three Mitsubishi natural gas turbines at the decades-old plant, calling them some of the most efficient machines currently available on the market.
"These state-of-the-art units are more powerful, use less gas, and could drive down costs for customers," Georgia Power spokesperson Matthew Kent said.
Kent said the turbines are designed to maximize fuel efficiency, which can translate into savings over time. "We're looking to save customers as much money as we can," he said. "So saving fuel is a part of that."
Jobs tied to construction and long-term operations
Georgia Power says the installation project will create about 600 construction jobs through 2027, when the turbines are expected to come online. Once operational, the plant will also add 15 permanent, high-paying positions.
The company says the economic impact could grow even larger if regulators approve additional natural gas projects at other facilities.
"With the all-source RFP that we are looking to get approved, we could potentially add thousands more construction jobs and over a thousand additional permanent, full-time jobs," Kent said.
Meeting growing energy demand
Georgia Power says the new turbines will help meet increasing electricity demand in metro Atlanta, driven in part by the expansion of data centers across the region.
Those developments have sparked pushback from some communities, with residents raising concerns about noise, land use, and the strain on local power supplies. Utility leaders argue the upgraded technology is necessary to ensure reliability as Georgia continues to attract large-scale employers.
Why Georgia keeps attracting projects
Georgia's unemployment rate stood at 3.4% in September—about a percentage point lower than the national average—according to the Georgia Department of Labor.
Tibor Besedes, an economics professor at Georgia Tech, says that reflects the state's broader appeal to businesses.
"Overall, any kind of a job is a beneficial thing because it shows that the economy's active," Besedes said. "There's churning going on and new projects coming along, and hopefully those workers can move on to other projects once construction is over."
Built in Georgia, assembled in Savannah
Georgia Power says part of the job creation comes from assembling the turbines in Savannah, even though some of the components are manufactured overseas.
The company says it plans to provide more updates from Plant Yates in the new year, when one of the turbines is scheduled to be installed on site.