Background and allegations
During a public hearing before the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC), Durand accused Georgia Power of placing its own profit interests ahead of ratepayer and environmental concerns by investing heavily in new natural-gas power plants rather than accelerating clean energy solutions like solar and battery storage. She claimed the utility is prioritizing its affiliated gas companies and said this strategy harms both consumers and the state’s clean-energy goals.

Key criticism and framing
Durand characterized the utility’s behaviour as unethical and even “immoral,” arguing that the utility’s operations represent a conflict of interest and amount to “no-court-worthy corruption” in her words. She pointed to what she sees as lack of transparency—citing extensive redactions and so-called trade-secret classifications in Georgia Power’s filings and contracts with large electricity customers such as data centres—and urged regulators to impose greater oversight and accountability.

Utility’s response and hearing context
Georgia Power defended its strategy, stating that its investments in natural-gas plants and battery storage are necessary to meet growing demand in Georgia (especially driven by large data centres) and to ensure reliable electricity supply. The PSC hearing in which this conflict emerged was considering a request by Georgia Power to certify thousands of megawatts of new capacity—roughly 8,000 MW—much of it from fossil fuel sources, with total indirect cost figures estimated to exceed $15 billion (though those numbers were heavily redacted).

Implications and public-interest concern
The dispute underscores the broader tension in Georgia’s energy policy between traditional utilities and a growing coalition of advocates pushing for cleaner, more cost-effective energy alternatives. For ratepayers, the concern is that continuing investment in gas infrastructure may mean higher long-term bills and delayed transition to renewables. For regulators, the issue is balancing reliability and growth with environmental and consumer protections. The use of trade-secret protections and heavy redactions in utility filings has added to public mistrust, and Durand’s vocal critiques reflect a growing grassroots movement seeking greater transparency and accountability in utility oversight.