ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Georgia Power customers are catching a break.

The Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) and Georgia Power agreed that the power company will not file an expected 2025 rate increase. Instead, the company will freeze base rates at the current level for at least three years.

“This is a very big deal,” said PSC Chairman Jason Shaw. “Energy customers have seen unprecedented inflation in the energy sector across the U.S. My fellow Commissioners and I urged staff and Georgia Power to come to some agreement where base rates would not increase. This is nothing but good news for Georgia Power ratepayers.”

“It will help me save because I have a child. I could be paying for his shoes or his daycare,” Georgia Power Customer Christina Grady said. “That would help.”

According to the PSC, in 2022, they agreed to raise rates over three years. The last of those increases came in January 2025, which ended up being a 3.5% hike.

Per that agreement, Georgia Power was allowed to request another rate increase this year.

The agreement filed Monday extends the 2022 agreement for another three years, leaving base rates at the current level.

Base rates are fixed monthly fees. Georgia Power officials said the base rate is the price per kilowatt hour.

“It’s much like auto gas at the pump. The base rate would be the listed fuel price. As you fill the tank, each gallon is that price,” a Georgia Power spokesperson said.

In a statement, Georgia Power said its customers are at the center of everything the utility company does.

“As costs around the country rise, Georgia Power remains committed to providing our customers with clean, safe, reliable, and affordable energy. We are well-positioned to balance mutual benefits that are available as a result of the extraordinary economic growth taking place in our state,” Georgia Power said in a statement. “This stipulated agreement helps balance the affordability needs of our customers while ensuring Georgia Power remains equipped to continue its support of our state’s incredible growth, which is good for all of our stakeholders.”

Part of the hope for an increase in 2025 was for Georgia Power to recover expenses for storm damage caused by Hurricane Helene, they said. Now, this “pass-through” expense won’t come until 2026.

Some critics of the agreement fear there is more to the deal that they don’t know about since it was made behind closed doors. Patty Durand, with Georgians for Affordable Energy, says the agreement lacks transparency.

“The public is supposed to be involved. How are we involved when this is private deal-making going on between Georgia Power and the Commission? It’s really a sad day for Georgians when we are cut out of all decision making,” Durand said. “Georgia Power customers have no input, no scrutiny, no influence over decisions that are impacting them. That’s clearly backdoor deal-making and is likely really bad for the customer. We just don’t know the details yet.

Durand also pointed out this is an election year for two commissioners on the Georgia Public Service Commission.

Because this agreement is only for base rates, both sides could still potentially request and approve certain specialty increases.

In January, a Georgia Power spokesperson told Atlanta News First the company is committed to keeping utility bills affordable and said the average Georgia Power customer pays 15% less than the national average on their energy bills.

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