Georgia Power Co. is delaying by a year power purchase agreements for 970 MW of solar projects.

The Georgia Public Service Commission on April 19 approved amending the contracts for the five projects, pushing the required commercial operation date back to Nov. 30, 2024. (Docket No. 43814)

The contracts are for the 220-MW Double Run Solar Project in Turner County, owned by EDF Renewables Inc.; the 140-MW CED Timberland Solar Project in Oglethorpe County, owned by Consolidated Edison Inc. subsidiary Consolidated Edison Development Inc.; and the 260-MW Wadley Solar Project in Jefferson County, the 150-MW Washington County Solar Project in Washington County, and 200 MW from the Decatur Solar Energy Center, also referred to as the Flint River Solar Energy Center, all owned by NextEra Energy Inc. subsidiary NextEra Energy Resources LLC.

Georgia Power said the amendments would help preserve "low-priced" power purchase agreements for customers and asked to revise the contracts with "smoothing storage" at all but the Timberland project, saying language would allow the projects to meet the required performance metrics without installing a physical device at the site.

Georgia Power CFO Aaron Abramovitz attributed the project delays to the U.S. Commerce Department investigation into whether solar manufacturers used factories in Southeast Asia to circumvent U.S. tariffs on imports from China, according to a May 10 report by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The delay is among many announced by utilities in recent weeks as the impact of the investigation drags solar development.

In the utility's latest integrated resource plan, filed Jan. 31, the Southern Co. subsidiary proposed adding 6,000 MW of renewable generation by 2035, which would expand its renewable portfolio to approximately 11,500 MW.

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