ATLANTA — Construction is underway on battery energy storage systems (BESS) at four locations across the state, Georgia Power officials announced Wednesday. One of them is near Moody Air Force Base in Lowndes County.

The state Public Service Commission voted late last year to certify the four projects, which will add 765 megawatts of electrical generating capacity to the Atlanta-based utility’s energy supply portfolio. One megawatt is enough electricity to power 750 homes.

“As we expand our diverse energy mix to include more renewable energy, which requires careful advance planning and flexibility to accommodate times when that source is not available, these batteries will be an invaluable part of the electric system,” said Rick Anderson, senior vice president and senior production officer for Georgia Power.

Two of the new BESS facilities will be built adjacent to both Robins Air Force Base in Houston County and Moody Air Force Base in Lowndes County. They will be co-located with existing solar facilities.

Georgia Power said the locations will allow it to leverage existing infrastructure, thereby eliminating the need to construct new transmission substations and eliminate the potential expense and lead time associated with interconnection and network upgrades.

The Robins project is being engineered and constructed by Burns & McDonnell and has a projected commercial operation date in June 2026. The Moody project is being engineered and constructed by Crowder Industrial Construction and has a projected commercial operation date in May 2026.

A third standalone BESS will be located at the retired coal-burning Plant Hammond in Floyd County. This project is being engineered and constructed by Crowder Industrial Construction and has a projected commercial operation date in November 2026.

The fourth site will double the battery-storage capacity of the McGrau Ford Battery Facility being built in Cherokee County. These projects are being engineered and constructed by Burns & McDonnell, and Phases I & II have projected commercial operation dates in October 2026 and September 2026, respectively. 

The PSC approved battery storage in April of last year as part a huge increase in generating capacity for Georgia Power.

Under an agreement Georgia Power reached with the commission’s Public Interest Advocacy Staff, the utility must submit quarterly reports while the projects are being built updating spending and the construction schedule.

Dave Williams of Capitol Beat News Service contributed to this report.