Google Teams Up with Georgia Power on Plant Vogtle Upgrade
Georgia Power has announced an agreement with Google to upgrade parts of Plant Vogtle in Waynesboro and Plant Hatch in Baxley, increasing the electric grid's power capacity by approximately 96 megawatts.
The upgrades involve work on turbines, pumps, motors, and other key equipment to produce more steam for the turbine generators, generating more electricity with the existing reactor fuel design and plant infrastructure.
The plan establishes a new tariff that Google would subscribe to in exchange for zero-emission credits, which could help decrease costs to the project and alleviate potential costs on customers. Georgia Power also plans to use federal and state tax credits and a pending loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Energy to offset some of the upgrade costs.
The agreement is subject to approval by the Georgia Public Service Commission. Additional details on the plans can be found in Docket 44280 and Docket 56002 on the commission's website.