By Elliott Brack
Editor and publisher, GwinnettForum
DEC. 5, 2025 | True or false: Your home electric bill will go up in the coming months?
The answer is obviously true.
There’s little doubt that Georgians will pay more in the short term future for electricity. For years, Georgia’s growing population fueled this growth. But that will not be as significant in the future.
It’s not people driving the rates up. It is the arrival in Georgia of large data centers, which use enormous amounts of electricity, which will drive rates higher.
Note this fact: Within 60 miles of Atlanta, there are 26 data centers now under construction. And 52 more are planned! That’s why you can predict with almost certainty that the many data centers will require so much more power that electricity rates will rise.
One individual data center can consume enough electricity to power thousands of homes. Large data centers can consume 10 megawatts of power, enough to provide electricity to tens of thousands of homes.
Why do the data centers use so much power? Running mega-large computers continuously creates a tremendous amount of heat, so lots of water runs through these centers to cool the computers. (Another subject for another time maybe: is our water supply also in danger of running low because of these large data centers?)
Continually-rising electrical rates may be creating another major change for Georgia: the political arena.
Look at the recent outcome of the off-season races for Public Service Commission. Where the PSC has been run by Republicans for years and years, the two Republican incumbents weren’t even a close race: the Democrats prevailed by 20 points in a whopper of an upset!
No doubt about it: the Public Service Commission’s granting of six electrical rate increases to Georgia Power in the last two years had to have been a significant factor in this election.
Therefore, is there any doubt that the two Republican PSC members up for election next year are sitting on particularly shaky ground? We may see Democrats controlling the PSC for years to come. But even they will still face the question of providing sufficient power for Georgia’s citizens while also needing to find ways to do this to supply growing commercial needs at reasonable rates.
Why do data centers come to Georgia: counties welcome them as a quick way to provide more local tax dollars and services through ad valorem taxes. But for sure, these local counties should not be allowed to provide incentives, since these data centers are raising so many problems.
Back to the political scene: Georgians upset with electrical rates are also seeing significantly higher costs for everyday items, such as groceries, gas, housing and other everyday items.
And combine that with an increased rumblings about our national policy and the way Donald Trump is running the country, it all boils down to a big question: will all these many factors mean a possible change in our local and state politics?
Because of all this, will Georgia vote for a Democrat for governor this year? How many Republican legislators will fall?
Will the Congress be turned around and see Democratic leadership?
Is it all because of high electrical rates? Are the new and power-consuming data centers driving these changes?
For sure, 2026 will be busy from the very start, and possibly all year long.
Get your score card ready to keep up in the coming political year.
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