Former Public Service Commission (PSC) candidate Patty Durand has been arrested and charged with felony theft of trade secrets from Georgia Power, marking a major escalation in her long-running scrutiny of the utility. Durand, a vocal critic of Georgia Power and founder of a watchdog group (Georgia Utility Watch, also called Georgians for Affordable Energy), was taken into custody by Georgia Capitol Police during a PSC hearing. According to arrest documents, surveillance video shows her picking up a booklet labeled “Georgia Power Trade Secrets” from a desk, briefly putting it back, then later returning to take a second booklet and slipping it into her purse before leaving the room. Authorities allege the materials she removed contained proprietary or confidential information, though it remains unclear what her intent was or how she planned to use them.
Durand has long accused Georgia Power of hiding critical information from the public, particularly in its dealings with data centers. In her advocacy work, she has repeatedly criticized the Georgia PSC’s heavy reliance on trade-secret designations to redact large portions of the utility’s filings. She argues that this lack of transparency prevents ordinary ratepayers from understanding how much data centers are charged, and whether those large corporate customers are being subsidized at the expense of residential consumers. Her nonprofit, Georgians for Affordable Energy, has pushed for cleaner energy alternatives, more accountability, and scrutiny of Georgia Power’s rate increases and infrastructure expansion.
The specific hearing during which the alleged theft took place was centered on Georgia Power’s plan to add nearly 10,000 megawatts of generation capacity — a significant part of which would come from natural-gas plants, with the rest from renewable sources. Durand used the hearing as a platform to challenge Georgia Power’s priorities. She argued that the company was favoring natural-gas expansion because it benefits its affiliated gas subsidiaries, rather than investing more aggressively in solar or battery storage. In her remarks, she called the company’s decisions “immoral,” claiming they reflect a conflict of interest by the utility and failure by regulators to protect public interest.
The arrest warrant alleges that Durand’s actions were intentional. According to the footage, she left the hearing room during a lunch break, returned, picked up the first booklet, then set it aside. Later, she went to a second table, took another booklet, flipped through it, and placed it into her purse before exiting. The booklets were marked “Georgia Power Trade Secrets,” indicating that they contained information not meant for public dissemination. After the booklets went missing, a lawyer for Georgia Power reportedly discovered the absence of one, prompting a review of the security camera recordings. Durand was arrested the same day and booked into Fulton County Jail; initial reports indicate no bail was set, though she was later released on a $10,000 bond.
Reactions to her arrest have been swift and heated. Georgia Power issued a statement saying it is cooperating with law enforcement and expressing concern over the unauthorized removal of proprietary information. The company emphasized that while it supports transparency, certain data must remain confidential to protect competitive interests and safeguard value for its customers. On her part, Durand continues to frame the incident as part of her broader campaign for transparency, urging the public to “vote for accountability” and pushing back against what she sees as systemic secrecy at the PSC. Legal observers have also weighed in: some argue that trade-secret protections are necessary, but that agencies like the PSC must carefully balance confidentiality with public accountability.
More broadly, the incident underscores deepening tension in Georgia over energy policy, regulatory governance, and data-center–driven demand. Durand’s arrest has intensified political scrutiny, especially in the context of an ongoing PSC election. Republican leaders have seized on the case, framing it as evidence of bad-faith activism. Meanwhile, supporters of Durand argue that her efforts highlight legitimate concerns: how much power utilities wield, how openly they operate, and whether Georgia ratepayers are truly being served fairly. Regardless of the legal outcome, the episode has further galvanized debate over transparency, rate-setting, and the proper role of citizen advocates in the complex world of utility regulation.
