Google backs 96 MW of Georgia Power nuclear uprates

Google has agreed to subscribe to a proposed Georgia Power nuclear-uprate tariff supporting about 96 megawatts of added capacity at the Hatch and Vogtle plants, subject to approval by the Georgia Public Service Commission.

The agreement covers uprates on Georgia Power’s ownership share of units at both plants. Georgia Power projects that Google’s subscription will provide about $900 million in benefits to customers over the lives of the units. The utility described that figure as forward-looking and cautioned that the expected benefits may not be realized.

Under the proposed structure, Google would subscribe to a new Nuclear Uprate tariff, called NU-1, and receive the Zero-Emission Credits associated with electricity generated by the uprates. Georgia Power says the subscription is designed to protect customers who do not participate from incremental costs tied to the work.

An extended power uprate increases a reactor’s output through targeted changes to equipment such as turbines, pumps, motors and cooling systems. Georgia Power says those changes allow a unit to operate at a higher licensed thermal power level while using its existing fuel design and plant infrastructure. For related data-center power-infrastructure context, see an 800-volt DC power design for denser AI racks.

The commission’s 2025 resource-plan approval authorized upgrades at Vogtle Units 1 and 2 that Georgia Power expects to add 54 MW. It also authorized preliminary planning, licensing and engineering for potential uprates at Hatch Units 1 and 2.

Georgia Power said the agreement, proposed NU-1 tariff and a request to approve an extended power uprate for Hatch Units 1 and 2 were included in filings in PSC Docket 44280 and PSC Docket 56002. The underlying agreement, tariff sheets and filing attachments were not available for independent inspection during research, leaving their detailed economics, obligations, term and allocation formulas unconfirmed. The opened sources did not state when the uprates are expected to enter service.