Georgia Power's New Solar Plant at Fort Benning Goes Online

ATLANTA, GA -- Georgia Power, the U.S. Army, and the Georgia Public Service Commission on Wednesday marked the start of operations of a new 30 megawatt solar project at Fort Benning.

The facility is the first of five on-base military solar projects currently being developed by Georgia Power in coordination with the Army and the Department of the Navy.

"Since we first broke ground a year ago, this site has been transformed into a state-of-the-art solar facility that will deliver clean, reliable and affordable energy to our customers for years to come," said Norrie McKenzie, vice president of renewable development for Georgia Power. "We look forward to seeing the rest of our military solar projects come online within the next year, and the positive benefits they will bring not only for our customers, but for the bases and local communities."

Georgia Power built, owns and operates the facility with power delivered to the state's electric grid at or below the company's avoided cost, the amount projected it would cost the company to generate comparable energy from other sources.

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The solar project at Fort Benning is estimated to represent a $75 million investment at the installation and will enable the Army to meet critical energy and security goals. The 200-plus acre Fort Benningsolar site uses nearly 134,000 photovoltaic panels to produce energy for Georgia homes and businesses.

In addition to this project, Georgia Power continues to add solar to its generation portfolio through programs designed to prevent upward pressure on customer rates. Thousands of new solar panels are being installed across Georgia as part of the Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany and Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay projects with the DON; at Forts Benning, Gordon and Stewart with the Army; and through the competitive Advanced Solar Initiative.

Image: Georgia Power