Saturday, April 19, 2025–10:50 a.m.
-Adam Carey, Rome News-Tribune-
This story is possible because of a news-sharing agreement with the Rome News-Tribune. More information can be found at northwestgeorgianews.com
Georgia Power held a groundbreaking ceremony Friday afternoon at its new battery complex, which is located on the grounds of the former Plant Hammond coal plant in Coosa.
The complex, called the Hammond Battery Facility, will consist of a 57.5 megawatt large battery energy storage system on the site. One megawatt can power approximately 650 homes for an hour.
The system will eventually consist of individual battery units, each about 25 feet long and 6 feet wide, and capable of storing about one megawatt of power.
The event was emceed by Georgia Power Regional Executive Melissa Free, who said her family moved to Rome in the 1980s because her grandfather helped build a cooling tower at Plant Hammond.
“So if not for this place, my family may not have been Romans,” Free said. “A fate I simply cannot imagine.”
The battery system is expected to store approximately four hours of power during times of low demand. The purpose is to store that power and draw upon it during times of peak usage, like hot summer days or cold winter mornings.
This is the first time Georgia Power has re-purposed an existing coal plant for use as a battery storage facility, according to Georgia Power Chairman, President and CEO Kim Greene.
“By repurposing the existing generation site at the former Plant Hammond, we are providing significant benefits to customers,” Greene said. “The system will be able to store over 57 megawatts of power and release it over a four-hour period, which is enough to power 50,000 homes.”
Battery storage is among a variety of power generation sources that state energy regulators approved last April as part of a huge increase in generating capacity for the Atlanta-based utility. The plan also includes other forms of renewable energy as well as fossil fuels.
“The battery technology is wonderful because it allows us to provide energy during peak periods, whether hot or cold,” Greene said. “And we can then charge these batteries when demand is low and we have excess energy.”
Rome Mayor Craig McDaniel said his first job after graduating from high school was working at Plant Hammond, where he was handed a broom on his first day and told to sweep coal dust.
“A man named Duke Hicks handed me a broom, and we swept coal dust every day,” McDaniel said. “I asked Duke if all we were gonna do is sweep dust every day? He said no, next week will be different.”
The next week, Hicks handed him a shovel.
“So we stopped sweeping and started shoveling,” McDaniel said. After his public remarks were over, McDaniel said he only lasted two weeks at Plant Hammond before moving over to what is now the Georgia Pacific plant next door.
“Georgia Pacific paid over three dollars an hour, and you could get as much overtime as you wanted,” McDaniel said. “I put myself through college working there.”
Floyd County Commission Chair Allison Watters thanked Georgia Pacific for repurposing the plant, although she said county residents miss the jobs the former Plant Hammond provided and county officials miss the revenue.
“The closing of Plant Hammond still stings a bit,” Watters said. “But what a great opportunity to repurpose this property. We look forward to working with Georgia Power, which has been a huge partner of ours for many years.”