Georgia Power and Google have announced an agreement under which Google will support uprates on Georgia Power's owned portion of the nuclear units at Plants Vogtle and Hatch, subject to approval by the Georgia Public Service Commission. The filings made with the commission say the work will allow the facilities to add approximately 96 megawatts of new capacity to the electric grid serving Georgia Power customers, and that Google's subscription is expected to enable approximately $900 million in projected benefits to customers over the life of the units. The filings outline how the subscription will benefit all customers, Georgia Power said.
The agreement is included in two filings at the commission, Docket 44280 and Docket 56002. Those filings also include a new Nuclear Uprate tariff structure, known as NU-1, and a request to approve a new extended power uprate for Plant Hatch 1 and 2. An extended power uprate for Plant Vogtle 1 and 2 was approved previously by the commission as part of the 2025 Integrated Resource Plan.
An extended power uprate increases the electrical output of a nuclear generating unit through targeted modifications and upgrades to key plant equipment, including turbines, pumps, motors and cooling systems, according to the release. The unit then operates at a higher licensed thermal power level, producing additional heat that raises steam flow to the turbine generator, so it generates more electricity while continuing to use the existing reactor fuel design and plant infrastructure.
Under the subscription-based program, Google will subscribe to the NU-1 tariff and receive Zero-Emission Credits, which represent the carbon-free attributes of nuclear energy, associated with the power generated by the uprates. The structure also helps protect non-participating customers from incremental costs related to the uprate work and was originally contemplated as part of the 2025 Integrated Resource Plan.
Aaron Mitchell, senior vice president of strategic growth for Georgia Power, said many of the company's large customers have specific clean energy goals, and that it continues to work with the commission on programs that help them meet those goals while creating savings for all customers. Lucia Tian, director of advanced energy technologies at Google, said the collaboration is intended to ensure that digital infrastructure growth goes hand in hand with positive local impact. More than 25 percent of the energy produced last year came from nuclear.
