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Google, Georgia Power Have Deal to Support Nuclear Power Plant Uprates
The subscription-based deal could add 96 megawatts and generate about $900 million in customer benefits, Georgia Power said.
On Monday, Georgia Power and Google announced an agreement to fund nuclear uprates at Plants Vogtle and Hatch, pending Georgia Public Service Commission approval. The deal aims to add about 96 MW of generation capacity to Georgia's power grid.
Surging electricity demand from data centers and other large users is driving interest in expanding existing nuclear infrastructure as a source of round-the-clock, carbon-free power. Nuclear energy provided more than 25 percent of Georgia's electricity last year.
Under the proposed NU-1 tariff, Google will subscribe to receive zero-emission credits from the uprates. The subscription enables about $900 million in projected benefits for customers over the units' lifespan while shielding non-participating ratepayers from costs.
"We appreciate Google's continued leadership," said Aaron Mitchell, Georgia Power's senior vice president of Strategic Growth. Lucia Tian, director of Advanced Energy Technologies at Google, said the collaboration ensures digital infrastructure growth "goes hand-in-hand with positive local impact."
This domestic partnership follows Google's first international nuclear deal earlier in September, a $15.1-billion agreement with Finland-based utility Fortum. Google plans to buy up to 50% of the electricity from the Loviisa plant to support data centers in Finland.