Georgia Power awards Atlanta's airport for energy-efficiency upgrades

Officials from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the city of Atlanta and Georgia Power on Wednesday celebrated the completion of energy-efficiency projects at the airport.

During the event, Georgia Power representatives presented the airport with a $45,901 check as a rebate offered through the company’s Commercial Energy Efficiency program.

Through the energy-saving projects completed by Hartsfield-Jackson, Georgia Power estimates that it will be able to save approximately 2 million kilowatt hours annually. The airport replaced many of its traditional lighting fixtures along taxiways, runway edges, centers and guard lights. These lamps have a longer lifespan than traditional lighting sources and do not require as much electricity to function.

"At the world's busiest and most-efficient airport, we work tirelessly to be one of the most sustainable airports in the world," Miguel Southwell, aviation general manager at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, said. "We are grateful for our partnership with Georgia Power on our airfield LED lighting project and look forward to working together on future energy-efficiency initiatives."

The airport plans to retrofit all runway and taxiway lighting this year, amounting to approximately 6,000 additional fixtures to be installed.

"We're committed to collaborating with our customers to meet their energy needs, improve their efficiency and help them save on their overall energy costs," Georgia Power Energy Efficiency Director Michele Wagner said.