Former Georgia Public Service Commission candidate Patty Durand has founded a utility watchdog that she envisions as providing a new way to hold state regulators and Georgia Power accountable.

Durand’s newly formed Georgia Utility Watch’s initial goal is to restore a consumer advocacy group similar to the state’s former Consumers Utility Counsel, which represented residential and small business owners in utility rate cases until it was disbanded during the state’s budget cuts in response to the financial crisis in 2008. 

Among Georgia Utility Watch’s goals is a prohibition against stipulated agreements between the PSC and Georgia Power until after the hearing process is completed and to ensure data centers do not pass on their energy costs to small businesses and residential customers. 

Durand launched Georgia Utility Watch last week while eight candidates qualified for the two Public Service Commission seats up for grabs later this year.

Georgia Utility Watch also plans to monitor a pair of major cases set to be settled by the five elected members of the state regulatory commission this year, which will affect Georgia Power ratepayers’ pocketbooks as well as determine the mix of fossil fuels and renewable energy sources the company will use to generate electricity for the next few years.

The PSC is scheduled to vote this year on Georgia Power’s long-term 2025 Integrated Resource Plan and a three-year electric rate case.

Durand often attends PSC meetings where she and a number of environmental and consumer groups have been critical of the commission signing off on Georgia Power expanding and extending its use of fossil fuels, as well as the six rate increases that saddled the average Georgia Power household paying about $43 more per month on utility bills since the start of 2020. 

Durand has also criticized the five sitting Republican members of the Public Service Commission for living in homes that are served by an Electric Membership Corporation while making decisions affecting Georgia Power’s 2.8 million customers.

During Durand’s professional career, she worked 10 years as the executive director of the Georgia-based Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative. She was a Democratic candidate in 2022 for the District 2 commission seat held by incumbent Tim Echols. Her election bid became one of several PSC races stalled because of litigation and state legislative redistricting.

Durand said she believes her role with Georgia Utility Watch will have a greater impact on utility regulation than she would making another run in a PSC election. 

“While Americans highly value market competition, Georgia operates with a stark contradiction: a state-sanctioned monopoly for Georgia Power,” Durand said. “This leaves customers captive, with no alternative utility provider. Compounding this issue, state representatives and Public Service Commissioners accept significant financial contributions from Georgia Power, its employees, contractors, and legal team. Consequently, decisions favor Georgia Power, who reaps enormous profits from selling a basic commodity while shielded from risk and competition. This system demands change.”

The PSC is set to vote in June on Georgia Power’s latest plan. Testimony last month from Georgia Power officials forecast how the state’s largest utility plans to spend billions of dollars to meet its skyrocketing energy demand, primarily due to the projected growth of large data centers supporting artificial intelligence.  

During the late March hearing, Georgia Power officials were pressed to explain why it wants to build four gas-burning units at Plant Bowen to support artificial intelligence growth when the company’s stated priority is to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels.