Former Public Service Commission candidate charged with stealing Georgia Power trade secrets

Caption

Patty Durand addresses members of the Public Service Commission during public comment in a hearing Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025.

Credit: Georgia Public Service Commission

Former Democratic Public Service Commission candidate Patty Durand has been arrested and charged with stealing Georgia Power trade secrets.

Durand ran an unsuccessful campaign to replace Republican Tim Echols on the PSC in 2022. That election was canceled after after a U.S. District judge ruled the PSC’s at-large maps violated the Voting Rights Act.

She’s since operated a watchdog group called Georgia Utility Watch, and has been an outspoken opponent of data center expansion and rate hikes on social media.

She was arrested and charged with felony theft of trade secrets during a PSC hearing on Tuesday around Georgia Power’s request to add two Plant Vogtles’ worth of new power, mostly for data centers.

Durand criticized the lack of transparency in Georgia Power’s agreements with data centers in an interview with GPB in August.

"The Public Service Commission allows very heavy redactions and trade secrets," she said. "So the contracts between Georgia Power and the data centers are also redacted and trade secreted. So no one will know what they actually charge data centers."

A Georgia Power spokesperson issued the following statement to Georgia Public Broadcasting.

"We’re cooperating with law enforcement and can’t comment on any criminal investigation. Theft or exposure of proprietary information is a serious matter. While we operate transparently, some data must remain confidential to protect customer interests and ensure we deliver the best value to all customers. Unauthorized disclosure risks harming both our company, the vendors and contractors with whom we do business, and the customers we serve."

It’s not clear yet if Durand has legal representation, or when she may make an appearance in court.