Electricity suppliers compete for large customers

In most of the United States, industries don't have the option of selecting their electricity supplier — but that's not the case in Georgia. The 1973 Georgia Territorial Electric Service Act established retail competition between electricity suppliers in Georgia. This act gives customers with connected loads of 900 kilowatts or greater a choice of electricity supplier.

The act assigns exclusive power supply areas throughout the state. The state's 42 electric membership cooperatives are assigned 71 percent of the state's land area, with the remaining area designated to Georgia Power Company, Savannah Electric or municipal power systems.

There are exceptions to these assigned areas that give some new customers the choice of their power suppliers. These a

1. Connected loads of 900 KW or greater, at the time of initial full operation, excluding redundant equipment, located outside municipal limits, may be supplied by any supplier.
2. In areas annexed to a municipality after March 29, 1973, loads of 900 KW or greater may be served by any electric supplier owning lines in the municipality.
3. In a wholly new municipality, loads of 900KW or greater are customer choice.
4. One supplier's service line (below 120,000 volts) crossing another supplier's assigned area creates "corridor rights."
   
   Customers within the corridor may be able to choose the supplier whose service line their facilities are near. Corridors are established at 300 feet from the line to the customer's premises inside city limits, and 500 feet outside city limits.
   
   Other cases exist that require determination by the electrical suppliers. For example, lines built for the sole purpose of servicing large loads may or may not have corridor rights associated with them.

This competition is made possible in part because Georgia's major power suppliers jointly own the state's transmission lines and substation facilities. The Integrated Transmission System is a joint service agreement among Georgia Transmission Corporation, which provides transmission and associated services to Georgia's EMCs; Georgia Power Company; MEAG Power; and Dalton Utilities. This agreement was designed to reduce the cost of electricity for Georgia consumers by avoiding duplication of facilities and through joint planning to enhance electric service reliability.

Businesses That Chose Jackson EMC

Listed below are some companies that recently chose to partner with Jackson EMC, along with their Jackson EMC account representatives. Click here to find out more.

Crossroads Church
Joe Hicks

Dalton Flooring Outlet
Randy Dellinger

Georgia Baptist Convention Headquarters
Todd Evans

Gwinnett Health System's Duluth Hospital
Todd Evans

Greenstone Properties Huntcrest West Office Park
Todd Evans

The Home Depot
David Lee

Kroger
Randy Dellinger

Kubota
Scott Martin

LifeCare
Joe Hicks

Major Wood Products
David Lee

Reckitt & Benckiser
Scott Martin

Rooms To Go
Randy Dellinger

Sage Software
Todd Evans

Sugarloaf Business Park VI
Randy Dellinger

TD Automotive (Toyota)
Scott Martin

United Communities Bank
David Lee

Washington Mutual Bank
David Lee

Winder Landfill
David Lee