Georgia Regulators Approve Rate Increase for Vogtle Nuclear Plant

The 6% increase, set to impact residential bills, will cover remaining costs of the first new U.S. reactors in decades.

The Georgia Public Service Commission has unanimously approved a 6% rate increase to cover $7.56 billion in remaining costs at Georgia Power Co.'s Plant Vogtle.
The rate increase is expected to add $8.95 a month to a typical residential customer’s current monthly bill of $157, taking effect in the first month after Vogtle’s Unit 4 begins commercial operation, projected to be in March.
The total cost of the reactors, originally projected to be $14 billion and completed by 2017, is now nearing $35 billion.
Vogtle’s Unit 3 and Unit 4 are the first new American reactors built from scratch in decades, each capable of powering 500,000 homes and businesses without releasing any carbon.
Despite the cost, Georgia Power and regulators maintain that Vogtle was the right choice, even though calculations show Vogtle’s electricity will never be cheaper than other sources.