Georgia Power Announces RFP Process for 500-MW Solar Initiative

Georgia Power announced it is soliciting proposals through a combined Request for Proposals (RFP) process to fulfill nearly 500 MW of utility-scale solar generation. The RFP includes 70 MW to complete the Georgia Power Advanced Solar Initiative (GPASI) portfolio and 425 MW approved as part of the company’s 2013 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). The RFP will be conducted with oversight by the Accion Group Inc., which is serving as the Independent Evaluator for the process.

Details about the solicitation and the in-service dates for the programs are outlined within the draft RFP documents hosted on the Evaluator’s website at http://gpasi.accionpower.com. In order to view the documents and receive communications about the process, interested parties should register on the website. Registration for prior RFPs will not transition for the 2014 process. The website also includes the 2014 RFP schedule and other information available to the public without registration.

The company will accept comments on the draft RFP documents through Jan. 31, 2014 and will host a RFP bidders conference at the company’s Atlanta headquarters on Jan. 13, 2014.

In the fall of 2012, Georgia Power proposed, and the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) approved, the company’s GPASI program. The GPASI was launched with no regulatory requirement and with a market-based design that does not put upward pressure on customer rates. In 2013, as part of the company’s IRP, the PSC approved an additional 525 MW of solar energy to be procured with similar requirements to prevent any upward rate pressures.

— Solar Builder magazine

[source: http://www.solarbuildermag.com/news/georgia-power-announces-rfp-process-500-mw-solar-initiative/]