Federal Energy Officials Approve $27 Billion Utility Loan

Federal energy officials on Wednesday announced a record $27 billion loan guarantee to Southern Company utilities, allocating $22.4 billion to Georgia Power and $4.1 billion to Alabama Power to fund new natural-gas plants, transmission lines and plant upgrades driven by data-center demand. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the subsidized loan will yield over $7 billion in interest-rate savings, while critics warned it may lock in costly fossil-fuel infrastructure and raise bills.