First new natural gas turbine delivered to Georgia Power’s Plant Yates

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Georgia Power ignites new energy era with first natural gas project in a decade, poised to meet surging demand.

Mitsubishi Power’s advanced turbines, a testament to American manufacturing, roll into Plant Yates via Savannah and the rails.

ATLANTA, August 15, 2025 – Georgia Power is gearing up to bolster its energy arsenal, announcing today the arrival of the first of three cutting-edge simple cycle gas combustion turbines at Plant Yates in Coweta County, Georgia. This marks the company’s first foray into new natural gas generation in ten years, a strategic move as the Peach State’s energy appetite grows.

The first turbine alone is a behemoth, clocking in at nearly 350 tons and spanning 50 feet in length, 18 feet wide. It journeyed from Mitsubishi Power’s Savannah Machinery Works, a testament to American manufacturing, via a combined rail and trucking operation to Plant Yates, about an hour southwest of Atlanta. These new units incorporate Mitsubishi Power M501JAC combustion turbines (CTs) and, when fully operational, will inject a significant 1,300 megawatts (MW) into Georgia Power’s generation capacity, a boon for consumers facing increasing energy needs.

Plant Yates, a stalwart in Georgia’s power grid since 1950, is undergoing a renaissance. Originally built to fuel the post-World War II economic boom, the plant saw five of its seven coal-fired units decommissioned in 2014, with the remaining two pivoting to natural gas. This expansion, with the addition of these three new units, not only strengthens Georgia’s energy security but also serves as a local job creator, adding 600 construction jobs and 15 permanent positions, bringing the plant’s total workforce to 75.

Georgia Power’s commitment to meeting the needs of the rapidly growing Georgia economy is evident in its strategic vendor relationships. The new units received the green light from the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) as part of the 2023 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) Update. Their strategic development around natural gas is leveraging efficient planning and swift construction timelines, all set to go live by 2027.

“Georgians count on us for reliable, affordable power, available whenever they need it,” stated Rick Anderson, senior vice president and senior production officer for Georgia Power. “We’re working closely with the Georgia PSC to constantly enhance our diverse generation abilities to deal with the many and growing needs of present and future customers. These Plant Yates turbines are a great addition to our fleet, thanks to smart utilization of existing infrastructure providing great value for customers along with local investment to Coweta County.”

Mitsubishi Power’s M501JAC advanced gas turbines promise a leap in efficiency and output compared to previous models. The air-cooled design shaves off precious minutes with a swift 30-minute start-up time and a lower turn-down rate, essential for grid flexibility. These turbines also boast operational resilience, equipped to run on oil as a contingency, ensuring power continuity even in the face of natural gas supply disruptions. Taking things a step further, the turbines have the potential to blend hydrogen into the fuel mix with future modifications, marking a proactive stride towards a cleaner energy future—Georgia Power is already at the forefront, partnering with Mitsubishi Power on a 50% hydrogen-blending project at Plant McDonough-Atkinson.

“The arrival of these M501JAC advanced-class gas turbines at Plant Yates is a major leap forward for Georgia and its increasing demand for stable, efficient energy.” said Cheryl Boddiford, senior vice president of North American Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management, Mitsubishi Power. “These American-made units symbolize our deep partnership with Georgia Power, as well as Mitsubishi Power’s focus on state-side manufacturing and robust workforce development. It’s a proud moment to provide flexible, high-performing turbines that will fuel growth for Georgia for many, many years.”

Natural Gas: A Cornerstone of Georgia’s Power Grid
Natural gas is a key component of Georgia Power generation at about 40% of their annual energy makeup, as well as a bedrock fuel for the company. Georgia Power continues its work with the Georgia PSC to ensure effective and responsible ways to reliably deal with rapidly growing energy needs through reliable IRP frameworks.

Georgia Power is investing in other existing power-generating plants around the state to better service Georgia’s residents. With the 2025 IRP, the company has gotten the all-clear to bring upgrades to all combustion turbines at Plant McIntosh, near the Port of Savannah. These enhancements will see an additional 268-megawatts of capacity brought to Plant McIntosh, helping to tackle the existing infrastructures demands.

Natural gas, as well, is an important facet for a recent all-source RFP certification filing with the PSC, which includes certification requests for five new combined cycle units strategically located across the state to help ensure grid stability, reliability and support economic growth. This is proposed to be located at the Plants Bowen, McIntosh and Wansley sites.

To know more about the ways Georgia Power is tackling the needs of its consumers through the diverse energy, well-balanced portfolio and the IRP process, visit www.GeorgiaPower.com.

About Georgia Power
Georgia Power is Southern Company’s (NYSE: SO) flagship electric utility. The company delivers Value, Reliability, Customer Service and Stewardship to 2.8 million customers across most of Georgia’s 159 counties. Georgia Power features a diverse mix of fuel including Nuclear, Coal, Natural Gas (among others) in order to ensure reliability. Georgia Power is considered a leader in customer satisfaction by industry expert J.D. Power. Visit www.GeorgiaPower.com for more information, and connect with Georgia Power on Facebook (
Facebook.com/GeorgiaPower), X (
X.com/GeorgiaPower) and Instagram (Instagram.com/ga_power).

About Mitsubishi Power
Mitsubishi Power Americas, Inc. (Mitsubishi Power) employs well over 3,000 experts specializing in power generation, energy storage and digital solutions. Mitsubishi Power’s solutions including gas, steam, aero-derivative turbines, geothermal systems, power trains and islands, PVs, environmental controls as well as a host of services. Energy storage solutions offered include Green Hydrogen and BESS systems. The company is headquartered in Lake Mary, FL. Mitsubishi Power is a brand of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) that is based in Tokyo, Japan. More information can be found at the Mitsubishi Power website and their Linkedin.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking information involving both risks and uncertainties. Risks and uncertainties can be due to things such as challenges relating to changes in labor availability, costs and worker productivity; working with contractors and vendors and the results they yield; adverse weather, equipment availability, delays and costs; judicial action; operating under agreements; major worker training; engineering and design; start-up activities; public support; continued support for projects; cost increases; failure to properly operate equipment; legal proceedings; catastrophic events and more. Georgia Power is not responsible for any forward looking information.