Georgia Power and Google announced a new agreement under which Google will support uprates on Georgia Power’s owned portion of the nuclear units at Plants Vogtle and Hatch. The work would allow the facilities to add approximately 96 MW of new capacity to the electric grid to serve Georgia Power customers. The agreement is still subject to approval by the Georgia Public Service Commission.
The filings include a new Nuclear Uprate tariff structure 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 previously approved by the Georgia PSC in the 2025 Integrated Resource Plan. As part of the transaction, Google will subscribe to the new tariff and receive Zero-Emission Credits representing the carbon-free attributes of the nuclear energy associated with the uprates. Georgia Power says this structure helps protect non-participating customers from incremental costs related to the uprate work.
The agreement follows rising load growth projections in Georgia Power’s territory, driven in part by projected electricity demand from data centers. Over the next six years, Georgia Power projects approximately 8,500 MW of electrical load growth, an increase of about 2,600 MW in peak demand by the end of 2030 compared with projections in the 2023 IRP Update. Vogtle Units 3 and 4, the most recent reactors built in the U.S., entered commercial operation in 2023 and 2024 after years of delays and cost overruns. Georgia Power owns 45.7% of the reactors, with smaller shares held by Oglethorpe Power Corp., the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia, and the city of Dalton.
What remains unknown is whether the Georgia PSC will approve the agreement and the new tariff structure. The source does not specify the cost of the uprate work, the timeline for completion, or how the additional capacity will be allocated among Georgia Power customers. The dossier also does not state whether other co-owners of Vogtle or Hatch will participate in similar arrangements.