Oglethorpe Power said it will invest more than $2.3 billion in two new natural gas projects to supply its 38 member cooperatives with an additional 1,400 megawatts to meet escalating demand across residential, commercial and industrial sectors.
The Tucker, Georgia-based generation cooperative plans to build a $2 billion, 1,200-MW two-unit combined cycle gas plant in Forsyth near the existing Smarr Energy Facility, a natural gas power plant the co-op operates. It’s expected to be operational in 2029.
The co-op also plans to add a 240-MW gas unit at its existing Talbot Energy Facility in Box Springs and aims to bring it online in 2028. The $360 million unit will be equipped with dual-fuel capability, allowing it to burn natural gas or a substitute fuel, enhancing Oglethorpe Power’s year-round resiliency.
Pending successful permitting, Oglethorpe Power plans to break ground on both projects in 2027.
“The electric cooperatives we serve need more energy capacity to meet their increasing demand,” Oglethorpe Power President & CEO Mike Smith said July 11 after the generation cooperative’s board approved the investment.
“These two new natural gas projects demonstrate growth in Oglethorpe Power’s generation portfolio and our focus on reliable, affordable and sustainable energy for our members.”
The new projects will create permanent, high-quality jobs, hundreds of temporary construction jobs plus boost local revenue that will support schools and the counties involved, he said.
The announcement comes on the heels of Oglethorpe Power’s purchase of a 465-MW, three-unit combustion turbine generation facility in Monroe from Mackinaw Power Holdings, an affiliate of the global investment firm The Carlyle Group Inc. The purchase represents the cooperative’s eighth acquisition of natural gas-fired generation in Georgia over the last 15 years, totaling more than 3,600 MW.
Oglethorpe Power also owns 30% of Plant Vogtle, a nuclear facility in Georgia. The final unit began generating electricity in April, and the project represents the first ground-up expansion of a U.S. advanced commercial nuclear energy station in more than 30 years.
Over the years, Oglethorpe Power has made strategic shifts in its generation portfolio and projects that its carbon emissions intensity rate will decline by 47% in 2025 compared to 2005 while at the same time anticipating a 61% increase in the energy it generates for its member cooperatives.
Cathy Cash is a staff writer for NRECA.