Georgia Power’s 30-MW solar facility at Fort Benning starts operation

Georgia Power, the Army Office of Energy Initiatives (OEI), General Services Administration and the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) marked the start of operations of a new 30 megawatt (MW) solar project at Fort Benning, near Columbus, Georgia.

The facility is the first of five on-base military solar projects currently being developed by Georgia Power in coordination with the Army and the Department of the Navy (DON).

“Since we first broke ground a year ago, this site has been transformed into a state-of-the-art solar facility that will deliver clean, reliable and affordable energy to our customers for years to come,” said Norrie McKenzie, vice president of renewable development for Georgia Power at the event. “We look forward to seeing the rest of our military solar projects come online within the next year, and the positive benefits they will bring not only for our customers, but for the bases and local communities.”

Georgia Power built, owns and operates the facility with power delivered to the state’s electric grid at or below the company’s avoided cost, the amount projected it would cost the company to generate comparable energy from other sources. The solar project at Fort Benning is estimated to represent a $75 million investment at the installation and will enable the Army to meet critical energy and security goals. The 200-plus acre Fort Benning solar site uses nearly 134,000 photovoltaic panels to produce energy for Georgia homes and businesses.