Kimberly Greene spent decades working her way up in the energy sector, achieving key leadership positions with large Southeastern utility companies before being named the new CEO of Georgia Power.
Now, the 56-year-old chief executive of the state’s largest and most influential utility faces several key initiatives, from completing a long-delayed nuclear facility in central Georgia to building out the state’s electric vehicle charging network as the South sees an EV manufacturing boom.
Greene was announced as Georgia Power’s new CEO Thursday, succeeding Chris Womack, who will take over as head of The Southern Co. (NYSE: SO). Georgia Power is its largest subsidiary, with almost 2.7 million customers. Greene assumes the role March 31. For now, she remains president and CEO of Southern Co. Gas.
One of Greene’s first tasks is finalizing the completion of nuclear power facility Plant Vogtle near Augusta, a project Georgia Power started in 2012. Its price tag has climbed to $30 billion, double the amount initially planned. The last major setback occurred in 2020, when the pandemic led to more than $150 million in extra expenses. Georgia Power has said getting Vogtle up-and-running is a top priority.
Greene’s appointment also comes as the utility commits to increasing the availability of electric vehicle charging stations in the state as more consumers switch from traditional gas-powered cars. The state has just one charging station for about every 18 electric vehicles, according to data from research group EVAdoption LLC.
“I think by 2030, we expect 1 million EVs in the state of Georgia,” Bentina Terry, a senior vice president of customer strategy and solutions at Georgia Power, told Atlanta Business Chronicle last August. “Rapid deployment [is] where we are right now.”
The EV market this year is a top priority for the Georgia legislature. Georgia Power will be at the center of those discussions. In 2022, a bill sponsored by Rep. Alan Powell challenged whether private businesses should have to compete with public utility giants like Georgia Power in the EV charging market. That legislation stalled in the Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications house committee.
Greene will also lead a plan to retire most of Georgia Power’s coal units by 2028, along with the last two units at Plant Bowen by 2035. The utility looks to replace coal with more natural gas, renewable sources and energy storage.
Greene started her career at Southern Co. in 1991, working in areas such as engineering, operations and finance. She left the company and went on to hold several executive positions with Tennessee Valley Authority, one of the largest utilities in the Southeast. In 2013, she returned to Southern Co., where she served in multiple roles, including chief operating officer.
Her new role with Georgia Power also cements her as a trailblazer for female business leaders. In 2019, Greene was the fifth-highest paid female executive of a public company in Georgia, with a compensation of more than $3.7 million, according to Atlanta Business Chronicle research.
It is unknown what Greene’s salary will become as CEO of Georgia Power. Her predecessor Chris Womack’s total compensation was over $6.1 million in 2021, most of which came from over $2.4 million in stock awards, according to a regulatory filing.
Source: Atlanta Business Chronicle
