EPA carbon rule rollback: what it means for Georgia's coal plants and data center demand

The EPA has repealed 2024 power plant carbon rules that would have limited emissions starting in 2030. In Georgia, that coincides with Georgia Power extending the life of its two largest coal plants, Bowen and Scherer, to meet surging data center electricity demand. Together with an Alabama plant, these coal units are expected to cover about 70% of that projected load growth. Environmental groups warn the rollback locks in pollution from aging plants. Bowen and Scherer together emitted about 22 million tons of CO2 last year, nearly half of Georgia Power's fleet emissions. A 2023 study linked these plants to thousands of premature deaths. The EPA also expects coal use to rise tenfold, and it plans to scrap rules for new gas plants, including a proposed 1,500 MW facility in Mitchell County. Legal challenges are likely. For anyone tracking grid decarbonization, the key question is whether extended coal operations undermine the state's clean energy transition and what that means for ratepayers and public health.