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Georgia Ratepayers Fund Vogtle Nuclear Plant Expansion
Two years after the final new reactor at Plant Vogtle in Georgia entered service, residential customers continue to pay for the project through higher base rates after construction surcharges that totaled more than $1,000 for some households. The expansion finished seven years late at a final cost of $36.8 billion, more than double the original estimate.
May 9, 10:00 PM·3m read2 sources
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Two years after the newest reactors at Plant Vogtle in eastern Georgia came online, the state's utility customers continue to shoulder the financial burden of the project through approved rate increases even as the units underperform compared with older reactors on the same site.
Construction on the expansion began in 2009 as the first new nuclear project in the United States in decades. It was originally expected to finish by 2017 at a cost of about $14 billion. The project ultimately completed in 2024 at a final cost of $36.8 billion, making it the most expensive power project in U.S. history.
The expansion was led by Georgia Power and a group of smaller utilities to meet rising electricity demand while adding carbon-free generation. The company hired Westinghouse Electric Co. to design and build the reactors using its AP1000 technology, which had not previously been deployed in the United States.
Construction faced repeated setbacks including wiring problems, faulty components and defects in parts built offsite. In 2017, with costs mounting, Westinghouse filed for bankruptcy protection and the utilities took over construction. Georgia regulators had the opportunity to halt the project that year after a similar effort in South Carolina was abandoned but chose to proceed.
Between 2009 and 2024, Georgia Power customers paid a monthly construction surcharge that added up to more than $1,000 for some households. After the reactors entered service the surcharge ended, but regulators approved base rate increases of about $15 per month for a typical residential customer to recover remaining costs over decades.
