A city on the rise -- new businesses, restaurants, sports facilities, medical centers, and families are reshaping the landscape. It didn’t take much for the population growth in metropolitan Atlanta to spill into neighboring communities like Gainesville. And with that rapid growth came the need to upgrade natural gas infrastructure.
Liberty Georgia, which currently serves more than 60,000 residential and commercial natural gas customers in the Gainesville and Columbus areas, felt the pressure firsthand in the early months of 2025 when temperatures dropped to record lows. The frigid weather coupled with commercial growth and a major hospital expansion in 2024, drove a sharp increase in demand. Liberty managed the cold winter, thanks to a highly trained team of engineers, operators, and other critical personnel, and some creative thinking. Going forward, the team also knew more had to be done to serve current needs while helping sustain the growth occurring in the greater Gainesville area.
“Our area has grown so fast in the last few years,” said Carolyn Bermudez, President of Liberty - Georgia, “and our system was maxed out. This winter proved to us that an upgrade was not just needed but critical for our community.”
Liberty presented to the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) a three-year strategic plan to boost its infrastructure to meet and accommodate growth on its system. Called RISE, the plan focuses on Risk reduction, Integrity management, Sustainability, and Enhancement of the system. The plan includes several major initiatives: a transmission line replacement/expansion in Gainesville, various distribution upgrades on the north side of Gainesville, a cross-bore program, a valve replacement program, and new investments in locally sourced natural gas that will convert landfill methane into pipeline-quality gas. The first year of the plan was approved by the PSC in early 2025.
“This was a huge undertaking by the Liberty team,” says Bermudez, “but one that will be well worth it for our customers and community – now and for generations to come. Having this roadmap approved allows us to make enhancements to our system that will not only keep gas flowing to existing customers but also allow us to bring on new customers.
This summer, the work starts. In mid-June, Liberty commenced construction on the 25-mile transmission line. Currently, the city of Gainesville is fed by a 4-inch and 8-inch mains, one of which was built in the 1950s. With this upgrade, the older 4” line will be decommissioned and replaced with a new 16-inch
line, allowing for a significant increase in the volume of gas delivered to Gainesville. Also in Gainesville, two distribution system upgrades are underway that will increase capacity and alleviate low-pressure issues. Customers will benefit from these improvements this coming winter through more reliable service.
“The Gainesville area is growing so quickly,” said Olivia Ward, Senior Manager of Engineering for Liberty, “and it’s critical we put the right infrastructure in place now to support the needs of the people we serve,” she said. “We have so many exciting projects in the works, and there is no doubt our community will reap the benefits.”
