Google Backs 96 MW Nuclear Uprates at Vogtle and Hatch

Key Facts

Georgia Power and Google announced an agreement under which Google will support uprates to the utility’s ownership share of nuclear units at the Vogtle and Hatch plants. Georgia Power says the work could add about 96 MW to the state grid, but the agreement requires Georgia Public Service Commission approval.

Google will subscribe to a new nuclear tariff called NU-1 and receive zero-emission credits tied to the additional generation. Georgia Power expects the subscription to enable about $900 million in customer benefits over the units’ operating lives; that figure is a projection of customer benefits, not the agreement’s value or Google’s disclosed investment.

Georgia Power submitted the agreement in regulatory dockets 44280 and 56002 and requested approval for uprates to Hatch Units 1 and 2. Under the 2025 Integrated Resource Plan, regulators had already approved upgrades to Vogtle Units 1 and 2 to add 54 MW of emission-free capacity, while authorizing only preliminary work on the potential Hatch uprates.

An uprate increases a reactor’s output through targeted changes to turbines, pumps, motors and cooling systems. The modifications permit a higher licensed thermal-power level and greater steam flow to the generator, producing more electricity with the existing fuel design and plant infrastructure instead of constructing a new reactor.

The financial mechanism links the cost of incremental capacity to a large customer’s subscription and the value of its carbon-free attributes. Georgia Power says the structure helps shield non-participating customers from incremental costs, but the projected benefits and Hatch implementation schedule remain subject to regulatory review and approval.