Georgia utility regulators have approved a 3.5 percent rate increase for Georgia Power customers, with the state Public Service Commission voting unanimously to raise average residential bills by $5.48 per month. Utility Dive reported on the decision as part of continuing coverage of Plant Vogtle cost recovery.
Georgia Power separately reached an agreement with commission staff to hold base power rates steady through the end of 2028, though customer bills can still move within that period through fuel cost and financing mechanisms that operate outside base rates.
The Vogtle expansion, completed two years ago, added Units 3 and 4 at a total project cost of $36.8 billion. The two new units increased Georgia Power generating capacity by slightly more than 7 percent. Residential and small commercial rates have risen by more than 20 percent across the recovery period.
Vogtle Units 3 and 4 remain the only new commercial reactors completed in the United States in more than three decades, and the project has functioned as the primary reference case in cost debates over large light-water construction. Developers of small modular designs have cited the Vogtle schedule and budget history when arguing for factory fabrication and smaller unit sizes.
Customer disconnection rates rose in Georgia as the increases took effect. Analysis of the pattern found the effect fell disproportionately on Black households.
The commission retains oversight of remaining cost recovery proceedings tied to the project.
Source: Utility Dive - https://www.utilitydive.com/news/after-2-years-ratepayer-pain-political-fallout-georgia-nuclear-vogtle/817792/