Graded Light and tightening on how it connects a new large load. 6 states, 5 actions with sources, reviewed 10 October 2026.
Georgia Power handles large loads with commission staff review of each 100 MW contract (terms in force as of March 2026); no grid operator process exists.
Georgia Power's 100 MW customers sign 15-year contracts and pay transmission up front; Duke's 75 percent minimum settlement (October 6, 2026) is pending.
No curtailment or capacity-matching obligation is in force; the 2026 Duke emergency orders have expired.
Co-location and own power are not addressed at the regional level and are left to state commissions.
Georgia Power reported 11 GW committed and a 24.4 GW pipeline for winter 2028/2029 (Q3 2025); Duke needed four emergency orders in 2026; no formal cap exists.
Scored on rules in force, 1 to 5. 5 is the most regulated. Pending rules set the arrow.
Georgia Power Q1 2026 Large Load Economic Development Report: 73,100 MW large load pipeline through the mid-2030s (76,200 MW all projects), 12,400 MW committed across 31 customers, 21 broken ground, 10 online; pipeline is unscreened and churns (12,600 MW in, 2,900 MW out in Q1). Georgia Power: 23,600 MW of large load pipeline and 7,800 MW of committed load by winter 2028/2029; Southern Co. system contracted large load over 17 GW by the mid-2030s services.psc.ga.gov Pace: Proxy: Southern Company (Georgia Power, Alabama Power, Mississippi Power) system-wide data center load exceeded 1.2 GW in Q2 2026, an increase of more than 500 MW over the prior year, per Q2 2026 call. earningswhispers.com
Outside TVA the Southeast has no grid operator and FERC's show-cause orders do not apply, so terms come from Southern Company and Duke Energy contracts reviewed by state commissions. Georgia Power's prospective large-load pipeline reached about 69 GW in December 2025 and the Georgia commission certified nearly 10,000 MW of new supply to serve it. Duke Energy filed a settlement in North Carolina on 6 October 2026 that would set its first standard large-load terms, including a 75 percent minimum payment. Duke's system needed repeated federal emergency orders in 2026.
The North Carolina Utilities Commission could rule on the Duke settlement as early as November 2026. Georgia Power files quarterly large-load reports and faces a rate case in 2028 when its base rate freeze ends. FERC has invited utilities outside the organized markets to file large-load transmission terms voluntarily.
Southeast utilities is graded Light and tightening on how it connects a new large load: State commissions, not a grid operator, set the terms here Outside TVA the Southeast has no grid operator and FERC's show-cause orders do not apply, so terms come from Southern Company and Duke Energy contracts reviewed by state commissions. Georgia Power's prospective large-load pipeline reached about 69 GW in December 2025 and the Georgia commission certified nearly 10,000 MW of new supply to serve it. Duke Energy filed a settlement in North Carolina on 6 October 2026 that would set its first standard large-load terms, including a 75 percent minimum payment. Duke's system needed repeated federal emergency orders in 2026.
73.1 GW of large-load interconnection requests as of Mar 2026, of which 12.4 GW approved or contracted. Georgia Power Q1 2026 Large Load Economic Development Report: 73,100 MW large load pipeline through the mid-2030s (76,200 MW all projects), 12,400 MW committed across 31 customers, 21 broken ground, 10 online; pipeline is unscreened and churns (12,600 MW in, 2,900 MW out in Q1). At the recent pace of about 500 MW a year (Proxy: Southern Company (Georgia Power, Alabama Power, Mississippi Power) system-wide data center load exceeded 1.2 GW in Q2 2026, an increase of more than 500 MW over the prior year, per Q2 2026 call.), the queue represents roughly 146 years of connections, which is why most of it will never be built.
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina. Each state page gives that state's own laws, incentives and local actions, which sit under the grid's connection rules.
4 of 6: Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina.
The North Carolina Utilities Commission could rule on the Duke settlement as early as November 2026. Georgia Power files quarterly large-load reports and faces a rate case in 2028 when its base rate freeze ends. FERC has invited utilities outside the organized markets to file large-load transmission terms voluntarily.
5 items: each is a law, order, tariff, ruling, utility action or local decision that changes what a data center must do, pay or disclose, or where it may be built. Failed and pending measures are marked. Each links to its source.
Filed with the North Carolina Utilities Commission on 6 October 2026 by Duke and the Public Staff, with support from Amazon, Microsoft, Google and Meta. It covers customers above 50 MW that run near peak consistently and any customer above 150 MW, and requires payment for at least 75 percent of projected demand each month plus an upfront deposit for dedicated infrastructure.
Source: axios.comDuke Energy Carolinas and Progress received orders in January, June, July and September 2026 allowing units to run at maximum output despite permit limits and, in January and September, backup generation to be called as a last resort.
Source: energy.govThe June 2026 show-cause orders are directed at the six grid operators and their transmission owners. FERC and Commissioner LaCerte encouraged utilities elsewhere to file their own large-load tariff terms, and a law firm review said the orders may serve as a road map for voluntary reform. No Southeast utility filing was found.
Source: hklaw.comCustomers of 100 MW or more must sign contracts of at least 15 years and pay transmission costs up front, and commission staff review each contract. Prospective large-load projects grew from about 16 GW in 2023 to about 69 GW in December 2025, roughly 80 percent data centers. Base rates are frozen through 2028 and the company has guaranteed revenue for 2029 to 2031.
Source: atlantanewsfirst.comIn December 2025 the Georgia Public Service Commission unanimously approved nearly 10,000 MW of new supply for Georgia Power, largely for data centers: 58 percent gas and 42 percent batteries and solar. An attempt by two new commissioners to reopen the decision was blocked in February 2026.
Source: wrdw.comNeed the capacity sooner than the queue allows? Every unit in the register is held by Genloop, restored and re-warrantied, and can move on your timeline.
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