ECG: Resources - Utilities

Georgia Utilities

Georgia offers a wide range of utility options for consumers.Click the links on the side for more information.

Georgia Electricity

Georgia's power suppliers include 42 locally managed, customer-owned electric membership corporations; an investor-owned utility; and municipal utilities. These companies offer highly reliable electrical service using redundant transmission, substations and/or feeder circuits. The Integration Transmission System (ITS), which allows the electric utilities to use each other's transmission lines, eliminates costly duplication and guarantees each power supplier the same ability to serve "customer choice" facilities. The ITS includes a 500 kV, 230kV, and 115 kV transmission grid covering the state which is powered by generating plants primarily supplied by coal. New businesses locating in Georgia with connected loads of at least 900 kW have the option to choose among competing power suppliers. Customer Choice is discussed in detail below.

Georgia Electricity Providers: Customer Choice

Although the state is not officially a "deregulated" market, industrial/commercial customers with a load of 900 kW or more can choose their supplier from any of the state's electricity providers. Some retail competition has been present in Georgia since 1973 with the adoption of the 'Georgia Territorial Electric Service Act'. This Act enabled customers with manufacturing or commercial loads of 900 kW or greater a one time choice in their electric supplier. It also provides eligible customers the opportunity to transfer from one electric supplier to another, provided all parties agree. The Public Service Commission resolves all territorial disputes and customer complaints involving customer choice and approves requests for transfer of retail electric service.

This "open market" system has allowed Georgia to remain highly competitive in terms of power costs and services. Georgia's power suppliers also agreed to joint ownership of the state's transmission lines and substation facilities, eliminating costly duplication and guaranteeing each supplier has the ability to serve a customer-choice facility. This system allows Georgia power suppliers to provide corporate customers with the most cost-effective, reliable service possible.

A property's location, relative to city limits as of March 29, 1973, helps determine its eligibility for customer choice electrical service. If the property falls outside the city limits (as defined on that date), any electricity supplier may bid for electric load that is 900 kW connected load or greater. If the property falls within the city limits, primary and secondary suppliers within the city are given certain rights to serve in order to protect their service territory and their investments. Primary suppliers have the exclusive right to service any electric load (regardless of size) if there is no secondary supplier for that city. If there is a secondary, several rules exist. For more information, please contact Location Georgia.

Sources and Related Sites

Electic Cities of Georgia: http://www.ecoga.org/

Georgia Natural Gas

Georgia's natural gas utilities provide about 43% of the energy used in our industries. Supplied by 4 interstate pipelines, natural gas is available in both firm and interruptible quantities to more than 80 municipal gas systems in the state. Throughout the state, 84 municipal gas systems provide natural gas to their residents. A unique aspect of Georgia's natural gas industry is that prices for municipal gas service are not subject to PSC regulation. Reasons for this are described below. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage facilities are used to handle peak loads.

Natural Gas Deregulation

In 1997, the General Assembly adopted a new regulatory model for natural gas distribution companies in which competitive marketers have an opportunity to provide natural gas services to Georgia consumers. The General Assembly found market-based competition as the best mechanism for selecting and providing natural gas services at the most efficient price.

The 'Natural Gas Competition and Deregulation Act' was enacted in 1997. The purpose of the Act is to:

promote competition
protect the consumer during and after the transition to competition
maintain and encourage safe and reliable service
deregulate those components of the industry subject to actual competition
continue to regulate those services subject to monopoly power
promote an orderly and expeditious transition of the industry toward fully developed competition
provide for rate-making methods which include the use of straight fixed variable rate design, the recovery of certain stranded costs and the use of alternative forms of rate regulation
allow gas companies the opportunity to compete effectively in a competitive marketplace. O.C.G.A. § 46-4-.151(b)(1)-(8).

The Act was amended in 1999 relating to the topic of customer assignment, and again in 2001, addressing issues of pricing, billing, meter reading and some other consumer concerns. In 2002, the General Assembly passed the Consumers' Relief Act to enact a Consumer Bill of Rights and to establish a regulated provider for low-income and high risk customers. This Act increased consumer protection.

Soon after the passage of the 'Natural Gas Competition and Deregulation Act', the Atlanta Gas Light Company (AGLC) elected to open its territory to competition. By mid-1998, the Public Service Commission concluded its review of AGLC's rates and notice of election. In 1998, the PSC approved a new rate schedule and laid out additional conditions for the transition to competition, as required by the Act.

At that time, Atlanta Gas Light Company became a pipes-only gas company. Ten certified natural gas marketers now serve customers on AGLC's system. The prices charged by marketers are market-based, but rates for AGLC's distribution services are still regulated by the PSC.

Atmos Energy Corporation is Georgia's only local distribution company, as they have not opened their market to competition. Therefore, they remain fully regulated by the PSC.

Information for those seeking "Marketer Certification':
To obtain a certificate of authority, an applicant must demonstrate to the Commission's satisfaction that it possesses adequate financial and technical capability to sell or offer to sell natural gas within the state. 'Rules Regarding Marketer Certification' contains the determining criteria for issuing of a certificate of authority. Nineteen companies filed applications for 'Marketers' Certificates' in late-1998. Others have since applied and been granted certificates.
Depending upon their location, natural gas customers in Georgia can purchase gas from one of three types of providers:

an investor-owned local distribution company.
a natural gas marketer.
a municipal gas system.

Sources and Related Sites

Atlanta Gas Light
Georgia Natural Gas Competition and Deregulation Act

Georgia Telecommunications Infrastructure & Providers

Telecom infrastructure is the backbone of today's corporate world, and Georgia offers businesses a state-of-the-art infrastructure. In fact, the first fiber-optic cable was manufactured in Georgia. Today, the state is the hub for the country's two-largest fiber-optic trunk routes, with more than 500,000 miles of cable buried underneath state highways. With at least 1,850 points of presence, the state also leads the nation in the deployment of ISDN technology.

Fiber Optic Lines

Long distance carriers, local exchange carriers, cable television companies, and competitive access providers have placed more than 500,000 miles of fiber optics all across Georgia. This includes 38 fiber optic trunk lines into and out of Atlanta. Thirteen of these routes are owned by long distance carriers and 25 are owned by BellSouth, which provides local telephone service to 85% of Georgia residents.

Atlanta is a transmission hub for the two largest fiber optic trunk routes in the U.S., which link the major population centers in North America. These Atlanta routes also provide fiber optic links to points across Europe, Japan, Australia and South America.

Long Distance Providers and Points of Presence
More than 250 long distance companies serve Georgia and more than 1,850 Points of Presence (POPs) are available at 350 locations throughout the state. Within the Atlanta Metro area, more than 950 POPs can be accessed at over 180 locations.

Additional Technology

Georgia has more than a dozen companies offering commercial leasing of satellite uplink services. They provide fixed, mobile and voice-and-data-only uplinks. The Georgia Statewide Academic and Medical Systems (GSAMS) video network interactively connects 400 distance learning/teleconferencing sites, including state colleges and universities, technical and adult education facilities and telemedicine sites. This gives the residents of Georgia's smallest communities access to highly specialized diagnostic equipment. SmartRing service, which provides an alternate ring transmission path in the event of equipment or facility failure, is available in metro Atlanta. In addition, Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) switches, a cutting-edge technology that facilitates faster and more reliable all-optical transmission of data, are also available.

Georgia Telecommunications Deregulation

The Georgia legislature effectively deregulated the state's telecommunications services well ahead of the national debate. This development, combined with increased access to local and national capital, has propelled the state's growth in telecommunications and information technology services and products. It has also expanded the competitive choices available for all local businesses.

Sources and Related Sites

BellSouth
Georgia Public Web

ECG: Resources - Utilities

Georgia Utilities

Georgia Electricity

Georgia Electricity Providers: Customer Choice

Sources and Related Sites

Georgia Natural Gas

Natural Gas Deregulation

Sources and Related Sites

Georgia Telecommunications Infrastructure & Providers

Fiber Optic Lines

Additional Technology

Georgia Telecommunications Deregulation

Sources and Related Sites

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