Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp Talks Growing Energy Needs

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Bloomberg Talks

Episode: Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp Talks Growing Energy Needs
Date: June 3, 2026
Host: Bloomberg
Guest: Governor Brian Kemp (Georgia)

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Episode Overview

This episode features an in-depth conversation between Bloomberg's host and Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, focusing on the state’s rapidly growing energy demands, particularly due to the expansion of data centers and large industrial customers. The discussion covers Georgia's strategies for grid readiness, approaches to rate management amid rising electricity demand, political implications of major energy decisions, statewide affordability efforts, and Kemp’s perspective on both state and national politics as his gubernatorial term nears its end.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Georgia's Grid Preparedness for Energy Demand

[00:25–01:32]

• Main Theme: Georgia is facing increasing electricity demand driven by data centers and large manufacturers (such as Hyundai and Kia).
• Kemp’s Position: The state is “very prepared” for the influx, with rising power generation and dropping rates.
• Quote:

  “We’re not only ramping up our power supply for data centers, but also for large load customers ... making sure we take care of all our residential and other small business customers in Georgia.”
  — Brian Kemp (00:59)

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2. Rate Structure and Managing Consumer Costs

[01:32–03:03]

• Details: Georgia Power’s expansion is largely funded through higher charges on large tech companies, allowing the state to keep, and even lower, rates for residential customers.
• Public Service Commission & Policy: Long-term agreements and investments allow for unique rate freezes and reductions, even as other states face rising electricity prices.
• Quote:

  “It’s really unlike any other model in the country ... For us, that’s a great economic advantage. We have clean energy ... but also your cost is going to be as good as anywhere in the country.”
  — Brian Kemp (02:37)

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3. Federal Energy Loans and Rate Freezes

[03:03–04:12]

• Background: Georgia Power received a $22 billion federal loan, raising concerns about future consumer costs.
• Kemp’s Response: The rate freeze has ended, but now “they’ve gone back and said ... we’re now going to be able to lower rates.”
• Economic Impact: Major projects (Hyundai, Rivian, other manufacturers) are seen as success stories fueling job creation and furthering the case for current policies.

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4. Political Debate: Moratoriums on Data Centers

[04:12–05:18]

• Political Opposition: Democratic candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms suggested a freeze on data center construction.
• Kemp’s Rebuttal: Calls the stance “insane,” citing the desires of struggling counties and the benefits in property taxes and job creation.
• Community Preferences: While Kemp doesn’t advocate data centers everywhere, he stresses collaboration with communities wanting economic growth.
• Quote:

  “I think it’s irresponsible for Keisha Lance Bottoms to say freeze construction. I mean, we’re the number one state in the country for business.”
  — Brian Kemp (04:40)

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5. State Gas Tax and Affordability Measures

[05:18–07:21]

• Gas Tax Suspension: The expiration of the gas tax holiday was a financial necessity to maintain funding for infrastructure.
• Affordability Efforts: Georgia has implemented several relief measures, including income tax and property tax rebates, annual cuts to personal and corporate tax rates, and relief on taxed income like tips and overtime.
• Quote:

  “We’ve been dealing with affordability for the last four years. ... We did no tax on tips, no tax on overtime.”
  — Brian Kemp (06:07)

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6. Federal Gas Tax Holiday Debate

[06:59–08:38]

• Federal vs. State Capability: Kemp asserts Georgia’s ability to run gas tax holidays relies on strict funds management—something he contends the federal government lacks.
• Savings Track Record: Kemp claims Georgia has returned/saved taxpayers $12 billion since COVID, “not many states can say per capita per person that amount of savings or refunds.”

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7. Political Climate and Republican Prospects

[08:38–10:40]

• 2026 Elections and Senate Runoff: Kemp feels Republicans are well-positioned due to a strong record in Georgia but acknowledges national political headwinds.
• Endorsements: Endorses Derek Dooley for Senate, arguing Republicans need to get on the offensive regarding economic and family-oriented policies.
• Party Differences: Kemp underscores a “stark contrast” between party leadership styles and priorities.

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8. Kemp’s Future in Politics

[10:40–11:20]

• Potential Next Steps: Kemp defers on post-governorship plans, emphasizing focus on helping elect Republicans in the upcoming elections.
• Timeline: No concrete timeline for future announcements, as his term lasts until early 2027.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Data Center Growth:

  “Rates are dropping and our generation’s going up.” (00:59, Brian Kemp)

• On Funding Infrastructure Amid Gas Tax Holidays:

  “We have to take money out of the state’s reserve fund to put back into our road fund so we don’t lose the ability to keep up our roads, bridges ...” (05:41, Brian Kemp)

• On Affordability Initiatives:

  “We’ve been dealing with affordability for the last four years. ... This is the fourth year in a row we’ve done an income tax rebate.” (06:12, Brian Kemp)

• On Political Contrast:

  “There’s such a stark contrast between the Democrats and the Republicans and the kind of leadership ... in the governor’s office and in the U.S. Senate.” (10:18, Brian Kemp)

• On His Political Future:

  “A great question I’ll have to come back and answer later.” (10:51, Brian Kemp)

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Key Timestamps

• State of Georgia Power Grid: 00:25–01:32
• Rate Structures and Consumer Cost: 01:32–03:03
• Federal Loans and Rate Freezes: 03:03–04:12
• Moratorium Debate & Community Economic Impact: 04:12–05:18
• Gas Tax and Affordability: 05:18–07:21
• Federal Gas Tax Debate: 06:59–08:38
• Political Strategy & Elections: 08:38–10:40
• Kemp’s Future: 10:40–11:20

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Conclusion

Governor Kemp emphasizes Georgia’s strategic advantage in energy and affordability, achieved through a unique rate structure, proactive grid expansion, and state-level economic relief efforts. Political questions surface about the future direction of energy policy, affordability, and the contrasting visions offered by state Democrats and Republicans. Kemp remains focused on immediate governance and election goals, deferring on personal political ambitions beyond his current term.

This episode provides a detailed look into contemporary challenges and strategies in state energy policy, and how these intersect with broader economic and political debates.

Transcript

[Indiana University Narrator]

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[Bloomberg Audio Studios Announcer]

Bloomberg Audio Studios Podcasts Radio News I'm pleased to

[Interviewer (Bloomberg Host)]

say that I'm joined now by Republican Governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp. Governor, it's so nice to see you here. Las Vegas. You're normally in Atlanta, I'm normally in Washington. But we both find our side ourselves here on the sidelines of an energy conference because the idea of electricity demand tied to data centers has become a nationwide issue. And we wanted to talk to you today because Georgia is one of the fastest growing markets when it comes to data centers. And I'm curious, how prepared is your electric grid for this influx in demand?

[Brian Kemp]

Well, we're very prepared. We've got a great story to tell in Georgia and it's not just for data centers but also large load customers like the new Hyundai Metaplant. Marty and I were there yesterday rolling the first new Sportage Kia Sportage hybrid off of the line. So they're a huge power user. So we're not only ramping up our power supply for data centers, but also for large load customers, also making sure we take care of all our residential and other small business customers in Georgia. We have a great story to tell. Our rates are dropping and our generations going up.

[Interviewer (Bloomberg Host)]

But a big part of this demand is coming from data centers because Southern Company, which owns and operates Georgia Power, is estimating that power is expected to jump 10 to 8 to 10% annually, driven solely by the AI buildout. What can you share about how you are helping to keep rates down when you have these big tech companies that are coming in and there is this risk to consumers?

[Brian Kemp]

Well, we're charging the big tech companies more. I mean, we've got a great rate structure in Georgia. Our Public Service Commission, the Georgia General assembly, along with our power producers like Georgia Power have put a structure in that as we build the generation out. And they're going to do that by half of what they have now just in the next, you know, less than 10 years. Which is pretty incredible that a state can do that to meet the demands of its customers, but also making them pay for that build out and tying that into rates long term. It's actually allowed Georgia Power a year or so ago to freeze residential rates for three years in Georgia. Since then they've actually dropped residential rates by a few dollars a month. And in the future they're going to be giving money back to the ratepayers as this build out continues. So it's really unlike any other model in the country where you have other states, other markets where rates are going up anywhere from 15 to 30%. And for us that's a great economic advantage for us to sell the state saying come we have clean energy. With Vogel 3 and 4 online now, a lot of solar, we can meet your needs but also your cost is going to be as good as anywhere in the country.

[Interviewer (Bloomberg Host)]

I'm glad that you brought up that rate freeze because I wanted to ask you about it because Georgia Power received one of the largest federal energy loans in history. It was $22 billion. But rate payers are going to be on the hook to pay that loan back. Right. So should Georgia consider extending that rate freeze?

[Brian Kemp]

Well, it's no. Well they, they've actually done away with the rate freeze now and are lowering rates. So you know, there was a rate freeze. Now they've gone back and said hey, because of the business that we have come in, the way we've structured the deals, we're now going to be able to lower rates by, can't remember, five or six dollars a month per customer from the residential side. And then in the future with even more of this coming, also large load customers like I mentioned, the Hyundai Meta plant, the Rivian plant is going to come online. We have other big manufacturers that are coming to our state producing great paying jobs with great benefits, bringing economic prosperity to all parts of our state. They're actually going to be able to lower rates and return money to the taxpayer. I know that is hard to believe because that is not happening anywhere else in the rest of the country, which is is why our story is so compelling.

[Interviewer (Bloomberg Host)]

Well, part of this is also coming into the politics of the state. We're seeing it in the gubernatorial race, your term limited, but we have the Democratic candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms advocating that we should see a freeze in construction. When it comes to this has any party.

[Brian Kemp]

Well that's just an insane position to take because you know, I was down in early county Georgia. It's one of the poorest counties in the United States of America. And they as soon as I got out of the car were coming to me going please help us with our data center. We want to build a data center here. We know that will provide good paying jobs for our community because they just had a sawmill that shut down and they know that it'll be good for helping them reduce property taxes like they're doing in Columbia County. Now, I'm not saying we need to put a data center in every community. We certainly don't need to be pushing them in communities where the local governments and the people don't want it. But there are many places around the state where people do want it, and that's where we need to work with them. So I think it's irresponsible for Keys Lance Bottoms to say freeze construction. I mean, we're the number one state in the country for business. We're producing jobs in all parts of our state. And that is my goal that I'm going to continue to work on as long as I'm governor.

[Interviewer (Bloomberg Host)]

If we broaden this out to beyond electricity prices, energy prices in general. Yesterday in Georgia, we saw that suspension of the state gas tax expire. There is so much emphasis on this these days due to the ongoing conflict in Iran, which at this point we still don't have a resolution to. Why was now the right moment to let that suspension last?

[Brian Kemp]

Well, it's very expensive doing the gas tax suspension because we have to take money out of the state's reserve fund to put back into our road fund so we don't lose the ability to keep up our roads, bridges, paving roads for local communities and doing projects that are very important to the state. So we couldn't do that forever. You know, I appreciate the General assembly passing that bill during the legislative session. We extended it to get past the holiday weekend. And look, I'm like everybody else. I hope the conflict gets resolved sooner rather than later. And I believe that, you know, motor fuel and diesel fuel prices will drop. But if you look at what the state has been doing for affordability, I mean, at the same time we suspended the gas tax, he also had us giving $250 rebates, income tax rebates, to everybody that paid taxes last year, $500 for a family. We've got a billion dollars of property tax relief coming to the citizens of our state. So we've been dealing with affordability for the last four years. This is the fourth year in a row we've done an income tax rebate. We've cut the income tax, both corporate and personal again this year. Fourth year in a row, we did no ticks tax on tips, no tax on overtime. And so, you know, we wanted to help with the motor fuel situation to get people into the summer and help our school districts and other small businesses get past the holiday weekend.

[Interviewer (Bloomberg Host)]

But we are gearing up for some of the busiest driving time in this country. I can say I did ask President Trump last week if the federal government is still considering a federal gas tax holiday. It seems to be something that's still on the table, but they look at states like Georgia sort of as a template here on what would really work. Do you think that at the federal level that's something worth.

[Brian Kemp]

I think, you know, we're in a completely different situation. The federal government, we have to balance our budget. If you look at like a lot of the blue run states with Democratic governors, they're not in a position to do this because they don't have the money to replace it. That's going into a dedicated motor fuel fund to help keep roads paved, bridges built and keep up with congestion demand in the state. We've been very fortunate because we budgeted conservatively, we had a robust rainy day fund, and we were able to offset the money that we're exempting for the tax. The federal government certainly doesn't have the money to do that, which I think is where some of the pushback that has come. So it's really been a testament to our state, to the leadership that we've had in our state to be able to even do this as much as we have. And we've done this for several years now. We've returned or saved taxpayers over $12 billion just since we came out of COVID in the state of Georgia. There's not many states that can say per capita per person that amount of savings or refunds like we've done in Georgia. And it's because we've had good leadership, not just from the governor's office, but from the General Assembly. And that's what this election is all about. You know, you got Keisha Lance Bottoms wanting to put moratoriums on growth and business and driving our economy, and we're doing things like this to help people with affordability.

[Interviewer (Bloomberg Host)]

Well, since you brought up politics in the final minutes, I have you. I have a few questions on that, yes, on the gubernatorial race, but also there is a key runoff next week when it comes to the Senate seat. Do you think Republicans are positioned well right now in order to retain the majorities in Congress, given all of these headwinds that we're seeing around the affordable affordability issues that you yourself are talking about?

[Brian Kemp]

Well, I think there's no doubt this is a challenging political environment and it always is for any majority party in the second term of a presidential administration, whether it's Donald Trump or anybody else. But I feel very optimistic because of the thing, at least in Georgia Anyway, because of the things that we've been able to do in our state, the policies that we can run on and remind people of things that we pushed and that we have done and also what we're going to do in the future, I feel very optimistic. I also feel optimistic about, you know, getting one of our Senate seats back. I'm working hard for Derek Dooley, who I've endorsed to be our nominee because I think he's the best person that can can beat Jon Ossoff and keep the majority of the US Senate, but also think Republicans got to get on offense. We cannot continue to be on defense. We need to be on offense about what's in the working families tax credit, all the good policies that the Trump administration is doing and, and not let the other side dictate what the political debate is going to be if Derek

[Interviewer (Bloomberg Host)]

Dooley doesn't win that nomination. Do you think Republicans should be spending their resources elsewhere to help boost other Senate seats across the country so that they can retain the Senate majority?

[Brian Kemp]

Yeah, I wouldn't want to speak for any other, you know, national groups and what they might do, but I know that our political groups will, I mean, I'm going to be supporting our Republican nominees. We have to win in Georgia. We have a lot at stake. We've had a great 20 year run. When you think about our former governor Sonny Perdue, Governor Nathan Deal, my administration, and we need to keep. There's such a stark contrast between the Democrats and the Republicans and the kind of leadership that you would see in the governor's office and in the U.S. senate. And so, you know, I'm certainly going to be all in no matter what happens.

[Interviewer (Bloomberg Host)]

So this is for 2026. Last question for you, Governor. Your term limited. Should we expect you to stay in public life after your term is over? I'm wondering if you have a timeline.

[Brian Kemp]

A great question I'll have to come back and answer later.

[Interviewer (Bloomberg Host)]

Any timeline?

[Brian Kemp]

My focus is on helping Derek dooley when the U.S. senate runoff. And then after we get that done, I'll be able to think about other things.

[Interviewer (Bloomberg Host)]

But do you have any timeline on if you're going to make a decision about 2020?

[Brian Kemp]

I mean, I still got to serve till, you know, the first part of 2027 in this role, which it is very busy and that is what my foot, where my focus is going to be. And, and also helping make sure that our ticket wins in November. That is my number one priority.

[Interviewer (Bloomberg Host)]

All right, Republican and governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp. Governor, thank you so much for spending time with us today here on Bloomberg Television and Radio.

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