Google Pays Premium for Emission-Free Electricity in Deal with Georgia Power

Georgia Power has partnered with Google to upgrade two of its nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle and two at Plant Hatch. The agreement will allow Google to pay a premium for new emission-free electricity from the upgrades, which will benefit other customers by reducing their rates.

The upgrades will add around 100 megawatts of carbon-free electricity to the grid, with Georgia Power expecting the revenue from Google to generate 'downward pressure' on customer rates. The company also plans to use federal and state tax credits as well as a pending loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Energy to offset some of the upgrade costs.

Georgia Power has been expanding its power generating fleet to meet the increasing demand for electricity driven by data centers, particularly in Georgia, which has more data centers under construction than anywhere else in the U.S. Critics have raised concerns about the environmental impact and rising electricity bills associated with this growth.