ATLANTA — Environmental and faith-based groups have filed a lawsuit in Fulton County Superior Court challenging the Georgia Public Service Commission’s approval of an energy expansion tied to data centers.

The lawsuit alleges the commission exceeded its authority in December when it approved a large expansion of power infrastructure for Georgia Power.

Plaintiffs say the commission did not properly demonstrate the need for new energy and argue the decision was driven by a surge in data center projects considering Georgia.

The suit also claims the expansion comes at the expense of customers, who could be responsible for an estimated $50 billion to $60 billion in costs in the coming decades.

According to the filing, the commission approved nearly 10 gigawatts of new energy generation without properly showing a need for it.

Plaintiffs are asking the commission to revisit its findings, rewrite its order and reverse its decision, including decertifying at least 757 megawatts of what they call unnecessary resources.

The Public Service Commission has not commented on the lawsuit.

WSB Radio’s Cheryl Castro contributed to this story.