HB402: HB402 Public Service Commission; establishment of renewable energy sources and renewable energy portfolio standard goals for electric service providers; provide

Georgia currently has no state law setting renewable energy targets for electric providers. This bill would require the Public Service Commission, by July 1, 2026, to establish renewable energy sources and portfolio goals for electric utilities, electric membership corporations, and municipal electric providers, with goals capped at 20 percent of each provider's annual net electricity sales. Providers would be encouraged, but not legally required, to meet these goals. The bill also updates integrated resource planning rules so utilities must describe their existing and planned renewable energy resources and whether those resources would meet the new goals. Separately, it expands the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority's authority to finance and build renewable energy generation, storage, and transmission facilities, treating them like the water, sewer, and solid waste facilities it already handles, and updates liability protections for authority members and employees to cover renewable energy systems.

• Requires the Public Service Commission to set renewable energy source and portfolio standard goals for electric service providers by July 1, 2026, capped at 20 percent of annual net electricity sales.
• Makes compliance with the renewable energy goals voluntary rather than mandatory, describing providers as merely 'encouraged' to meet them.
• Adds a new requirement that utility integrated resource plans describe existing and planned renewable energy resources and whether they meet the new state goals.
• Expands the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority's mission to include financing and building renewable energy generation, storage, and transmission facilities.
• Directs the commission to adopt rules by July 1, 2026 requiring annual reporting on renewable energy usage, generation costs, and pricing.
• Updates the authority's personal liability protections for board members and employees to cover renewable energy systems owned by local governments.

Electric utilities, electric membership corporations, and municipal electric providers across Georgia; the Public Service Commission, which must write new rules; the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority, which gains new financing powers; and Georgia electricity ratepayers whose utilities file integrated resource plans.

If enacted, Georgia would for the first time have state-set renewable energy targets for electric providers, though compliance stays voluntary. Utilities would need to document renewable resources in planning documents, and a state authority could help finance new solar, wind, or storage projects across the state.

• Section 1 adds new Code Sections 46-3-69.5 through 46-3-69.8, stating legislative intent to encourage renewable energy and reduce reliance on fossil fuels for electricity generation.
• Section 1 defines 'renewable energy sources' broadly to include wind, solar, low impact hydropower, geothermal, biomass, landfill gas, and several biofuel and biomass categories, while excluding old-growth timber.
• Section 1 caps any commission-set renewable energy goal at 20 percent of a provider's annual net electricity sales and requires the commission to weigh forecasted costs and installed capacity through 2030 and 2050.
• Section 1 states providers are only 'encouraged' to meet the goals, meaning there is no penalty specified for falling short.
• Section 2 amends integrated resource planning law (O.C.G.A. § 46-3A-1) to require utilities to describe renewable energy resources and whether they satisfy the new state goals.
• Section 3 amends the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority's definitions (O.C.G.A. § 50-23-4) to add 'renewable energy facility' and include renewable energy generation, storage, and transmission projects as environmental facilities eligible for authority financing.
• Section 5 revises the authority's liability provisions (O.C.G.A. § 50-23-12) to extend protections to renewable energy systems owned by local governments.
• Section 6 repeals conflicting laws.

1. 2025-02-13House Withdrawn, Recommitted (House)
2. 2025-02-13House Second Readers (House)
3. 2025-02-12House First Readers (House)
4. 2025-02-11House Hopper (House)

• Spencer Frye (D, HD-122)Primary sponsor
• Eric Bell (D, HD-075)
• Karla Drenner (D, HD-085)
• Gabriel Sanchez (D, HD-042)
• Miriam Paris (D, HD-142)
• Samuel Park (D, HD-107)

• renewable energy
• Public Service Commission
• utility regulation
• electric utilities
• Georgia Environmental Finance Authority