Correction: Nuclear Plant-Georgia story
In a Sept. 30 story about a lawsuit over cost overruns at the Vogtle nuclear power plant in Georgia, The Associated Press erroneously reported an ownership percentage and the dates that a reactor is expected to start generating electricity and when payments would be made after a lawsuit was settled.
Georgia nuclear plant gets OK to load fuel at new reactor
A nuclear power plant being built in Georgia can begin loading radioactive fuel into one of its two new reactors, federal regulators said Wednesday, a key step toward generating electricity at the first new nuclear reactor built in decades in the United States.
Nuclear costs loom over races for Georgia PSC races
ATLANTA โ The shadow of two nuclear reactors that Georgia Power Co. is building near Waynesboro hangs over two statewide elections for the Georgia Public Service Commission. Electric customers statewide and even in Jacksonville will help pay for Plant Vogtle, as Georgia Power has contracts to provide power from the plant around the Southeast. In District 1, Republican Jason Shaw is seeking a full six-year term after the former state lawmaker was appointed by Gov. Wilson said itโs unfair for Georgia Power to buy excess solar cheaply from rooftop generation and then sell it to other customers at higher expense. โI will give Georgia Power credit for offering a repayment plan,โ Blackman said.
Nuclear plant may cost JEA customers, but not for a few years
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ JEA management admits that customers' bills might go up to pay for a nuclear power plant in Georgia that has cost billions of dollars and still isnโt finished. JEA promised to pay 41% of the cost of two reactors at Plant Vogtle, a joint-project with Georgia Power and other utilities located near Waynesboro, Georgia, south of Augusta. Instead of looking at the plant as a huge liability, the JEA says receiving nuclear power will help hold down electric rates in the future. JEA admits there is a change the cost overruns at the plant will require a rate increase, although not immediately. Nothing has been decided and many things could change before electricity from Plant Vogtle begins flowing.
JEA still on the hook for $3 billion in Plant Vogtle project
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. JEA remains on the hook for nearly $3 billion as part of the Plant Vogtle project, which has seen its costs balloon as construction has fallen behind schedule. During JEAs monthly meeting on Tuesday, members went into a shade meeting. JEA staff members say that besides the cost of the nuclear power plant project, court costs are skyrocketing. JEA promised to pay 41% of the cost of two of the nuclear reactors now being built near Waynesboro, Georgia. Now, because of major construction problems that have delayed the project for years, plus the bankruptcy of other company involved, JEA costs have jumped to over $3 billion.
JEA cuts deal to shutter Georgia coal-fired power plant
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ JEAโs Board of Directors on Friday signed off on a plan to close a coal-fired power plant in Georgia as part of an effort to shift to cleaner sources of energy. The city-owned utility and Florida Power & Light have jointly owned Plant Scherer, Unit 4, an 848-megawatt plant in Macon operated by the Georgia Power Company, since 1989. Also Friday, JEA committed to a 20-year power purchase agreement with FPL, which is meant to lower the utilityโs operating costs and lower carbon dioxide emissions by roughly 1.3 million tons a year. As News4Jax previously reported, JEA remains on the hook for a financial commitment of nearly $3 billion for Plant Vogtle, a power plant located in Waynesboro, Georgia, that remains under construction. The utility tried unsuccessfully to back out of the 20-year power purchase agreement as the project has fallen behind schedule and costs have skyrocketed.
Judge rules JEA is still on the hook for billions in Georgia nuclear power deal
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. JEAs efforts to back out of a deal to buy power from a Georgia nuclear plant reached a dead end Wednesday when a federal judge upheld the contract. In a 53-page order, U.S. District Judge Mark Cohen ruled that JEAs power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia (MEAG) is valid and enforceable, despite the utilitys legal arguments to the contrary. JEA would have been required to pay $1.4 billion of the anticipated $9.5 billion price tag under the fixed-cost agreement. JEA and the city sued in 2018, saying the contract was no longer valid, and MEAG in turn sued for breach of contract. It also noted that the judge lifted a stay on discovery for JEAs claims that MEAG was negligent when it entered the new agreement without JEAs approval.
JEA gives final go-ahead for new downtown building
JEA CEO Aaron Zahn said the future of JEA put plans to build a new headquarters downtown near the courthouse on hold. Zahn told the board and the developer at the meeting that the hold is no longer necessary and they are ready to move ahead. JEA has been in a legal battle over its contract to purchase nuclear power from the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia. That agreement requires JEA to pay a portion of the construction cost and to buy 20% of the power from the nuclear power plant once it goes online. Zahn told the board he will come back next month with an update on the project and the cost.