Google Partners with Georgia Power to Upgrade Nuclear Reactors

Georgia Power and Google have announced an agreement to upgrade four of Georgia's older nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle and Plant Hatch. The upgrades aim to increase energy production and help Google meet its target of using only carbon-free energy by 2030.

The program, modeled on similar renewable energy programs offered by the utility, will allow large customers like Google to pay a subscription fee on top of their electricity bill to cover the cost of the nuclear upgrades. In exchange, they will receive credit toward their clean energy target.

Georgia Power recently completed its expansion at Plant Vogtle, adding two new reactors to the grid. 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 Georgia Public Service Commission and is expected to add 96 megawatts of nuclear capacity to the grid, providing approximately $900 million in projected benefits to customers over the life of the units.