Georgia PSC reportedly approves Google’s reactor-upgrade deal

Merca2.es and Moncloa.com reported on Oct. 18 that the Georgia Public Service Commission approved an agreement under which Google will support upgrades at four existing reactor units. Georgia Power’s plan ties the subscription to an estimated 96 megawatts (MW) of added capacity and roughly $900 million in projected customer benefits over the units’ operating lives. Merca2.es and Moncloa.com reported the approval; Georgia Power’s announcement describes the agreement and its projections.

The units are Vogtle 1 and 2 and Hatch 1 and 2. Georgia Power announced the agreement on Sept. 21, 2026, when it said regulatory approval was still pending. That day, the utility filed its Nuclear Uprate (NU-1) tariff and a request for uprates at Hatch 1 and 2. The Georgia Public Service Commission’s filing indexes identify the NU-1 tariff submission and the Hatch request.

What Google’s NU-1 subscription supports

The NU-1 tariff is the subscription arrangement Georgia Power says Google will use to help fund the uprates. In return, Google is to receive Zero-Emission Credits (ZECs), which represent the carbon-free attributes associated with electricity from the upgraded units. Georgia Power says the added capacity is intended to serve its customers.

The work modifies existing plants rather than building new reactors. Georgia Power describes targeted changes to turbines, pumps, motors and cooling systems. The upgrades are designed to allow higher licensed thermal power, increasing heat and steam flow to the turbine-generators while retaining the existing fuel design and plant infrastructure.

What the projections mean for customers

Georgia Power estimates the uprates could add about 96 MW to its grid. The utility also projects approximately $900 million in customer benefits across the units’ operating lives. That is an aggregate, long-term projection; Georgia Power describes the tariff’s customer protection as shielding nonparticipants from incremental costs associated with the uprate work.

The benefit estimate is not a household rebate. Georgia Power’s stated protection addresses added project costs, while the projection covers customer benefits over the units’ operating lives. Those figures do not specify a reduction in any individual residential bill.

Merca2.es and Moncloa.com also reported that the added capacity was expected to enter the grid from 2028. That is the reported timing for the projected capacity, not a completed delivery.