Southern Co.'s Contracted Large Load Hits 17 GW on Data Center Boom
Southern Company’s contracted large load has climbed to 17 GW across its utility territory, up 6 GW since the first quarter of 2026, Utility Dive reports. The jump comes largely from data center demand, including Georgia Power’s newly announced 3.2-GW, 25-year contract with OpenAI for a site near Savannah. CEO Chris Womack told investors during the company’s second-quarter earnings call that the OpenAI project should begin taking service in 2028 and includes 1 GW of “flexible demand response,” the first such flexibility provision the utility has built into a data center contract. Womack said another 8 GW of projects are in advanced stages of contracting, with 3 GW expected to close in the near term. Data center electricity usage across Southern’s system was up 55% year-over-year in the second quarter. The company plans to spend $68 billion on its regulated electric utilities through 2030 and has secured approval for roughly 10 GW of new generation, mostly gas, with active RFPs underway in Georgia and Alabama.
What It Means for Subcontractors
- Georgia Power’s substation and transmission buildout tied to the 3.2-GW OpenAI site near Savannah will need civil, electrical, and E&I crews ahead of the 2028 service start date, with site work likely ramping well before then.
- The additional 8 GW in advanced contracting, including 3 GW expected to finalize soon, signals more substation and interconnection packages coming to bid in Georgia and Alabama over the next several months.
- Southern’s active generation RFPs in Georgia and Alabama, tied to roughly 10 GW of approved new capacity (mostly gas, plus storage and solar), are expected to yield selected projects by year-end, a key window for mechanical, electrical, and balance-of-plant subs to position for awards.
