Google would help pay for upgrades to Georgia’s nuclear reactors under an agreement recently announced by Georgia Power.
Georgia Power wants to upgrade four of the state’s older nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle, near Augusta, and Plant Hatch, near Baxley, so they produce more energy. State regulators approved the Vogtle upgrades last year, but the specifics of how to pay for the work weren’t hashed out.
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Now, the utility is asking the Georgia Public Service Commission for permission to move ahead with the updates at Plant Hatch too — as well as approval to create a new subscription program so large customers like Google can pay for both.
“We appreciate Google’s continued leadership in this space and partnership in developing this program, which we see as the latest example of how large-load growth can benefit all electric customers,” said Aaron Mitchell, senior vice president of strategic growth for Georgia Power, in a statement.
The tech giant needs energy to power its data centers, and has set a target of using only carbon-free energy by 2030. Since nuclear plants don’t use fossil fuel, the power they generate qualifies. Google has long operated a data center in Douglas County, and is also building new facilities in LaGrange and Columbia County.
Under the proposed program, a large customer like Google would pay a subscription fee on top of its electricity bill to help cover the cost of the nuclear upgrades. In exchange, Google would get credit toward its clean energy target. It’s modeled on similar programs that the utility offers for renewable energy like solar.
Precise details of the agreement between Google and Georgia Power haven’t been made public. It’s expected to add 96 megawatts of nuclear capacity to the grid and provide “approximately $900 million in projected benefits to customers over the life of the units,” according to the utility.
“This collaboration with Georgia Power ensures that digital infrastructure growth goes hand-in-hand with positive local impact, helping to deliver hundreds of millions of dollars in direct customer benefits and supporting a more affordable, clean, and reliable energy system for all Georgia residents,” said Lucia Tian, director of advanced energy technologies for Google, in a statement.
Georgia Power recently completed its expansion at Plant Vogtle, adding the first two new nuclear reactors to be built in the United States in decades. That project ended up running years behind schedule and came in billions over budget. The upgrade work covered under this program is for the two older reactors at Vogtle, which went into operation in the late-1980s.
The proposal still needs approval from the Public Service Commission.
This story is available through a news partnership with WABE, Atlanta’s National Public Radio affiliate.
