Construction Necessity
Why are new transmission lines necessary?


Georgia's Rapid Growth
Rapid population growth and economic development have resulted in a substantial increase in the demand for electricity.

Georgia is one of the fastest growing states in the nation. From 1960 to 1980, Georgia's population increased by 1.6 million. From 1980 to 2000, Georgia grew by 2.7 million, and almost two-thirds of that growth came in the last decade. From 1990 to 2000, 16 Georgia counties grew by more than 50 percent, and Henry and Forsyth Counties saw their population double in the 1990s. Georgia is expected to add 3.8 million people from 2005 to 2030. Meanwhile, growth in energy demand is outpacing population growth.

Keeping Pace with Rapid Growth
To keep pace with this growth, operations and planning engineers at GTC and local EMCs monitor system performance and evaluate system capabilities under projected future electrical loading conditions.

If it is determined that existing facilities will no longer be adequate to maintain reliable electric service, a study is conducted to analyze alternative solutions.

The appropriate solution may include upgrades to existing facilities and/or construction of new facilities. If upgrades or new construction is necessary, GTC then follows a defined process to minimize overall impacts to people and the environment.