As energy chief touts Vogtle’s bright future, some see a darker side

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - The U.S. energy secretary says the country needs more nuclear power plants like Plant Vogtle, but some consumer groups say that’s the last thing we need.

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm visited the plant near Waynesboro on Friday, capping a week of celebrations when Georgia Power showed off the newly operational Units 3 and 4.

While in the CSRA, Granholm called for more nuclear reactors to be built in the United States and worldwide because of their ability to produce power without emitting the greenhouse gases blamed for climate change.

“It is now time for others to follow their lead to reach our goal of getting to net zero by 2050,” Granholm said. “We have to at least triple our current nuclear capacity in this country.”

Despite the some groups say it’s a bad project for Georgia.

In a 40-page report addressing issues with the project, six consumer groups found the average customer is paying another $420 a year, roughly $35 a month, for the construction project that finished seven years late and $17 billion over budget.

Georgia Power got permission to charge consumers for much of that tab.

Patty Durand, founder of Cool Planet Solutions and one of the report’s authors, called Plant Vogtle a disaster.

“If other states are paying any attention, the two new nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle should be the last reactors ever built in the United States,” said Durand. “They never should have been completed in the first place. Again and again, the Georgia Public Service Commission was warned about the astronomical cost of these reactors and the financial toll it would bear on Georgians for decades to come.

Kim Scott with Georgia Women’s Action for New Directions cited concerns about how the project impacts customers. She says roughly 20,000 customers are disconnected in the state every month.

“Georgians are worried about inflation, Georgians are worried about how they’re going to pay not only their power bills but where they’re going to stay,” said Scott.

In April, Georgia Power declared that Plant Vogtle Unit 4 has entered commercial operation and started serving customers.

The new unit can produce enough electricity to power an estimated 500,000 homes and businesses, and follows Vogtle Unit 3 going into commercial operation on July 31, 2023.

With all four units now in operation, Plant Vogtle is expected to produce more than 30 million megawatt hours of electricity each year.

Granholm said the United States needs 98 more reactors with the capacity of Units 3 and 4 at Plant Vogtle to produce electricity while reducing climate-changing carbon emissions.

Each of the two new reactors can power 500,000 homes and businesses without releasing any carbon.

Chris Womack, CEO of Southern Co., the Atlanta-based parent company of Georgia Power, said he s Granholm’s call for more nuclear power generation, but he added that his company won’t build more soon.

“I think the federal government should provide a leadership role in facilitating and making that become a reality,” Womack said. “We’ve had a long experience, and we’re going to celebrate what we’ve gotten done here for a good little while.”

Gov. Brian Kemp defended the project, saying while delays and added costs are frustrating, Vogtle is responsible for thousands of jobs and remains key to attracting companies wanting to invest in clean energy.

“Because of Vogtle three and four, we are actually on the offensive, we are open for business. People around the country know that,” said Kemp.

On Wednesday, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp even floated the idea of a fifth Vogtle reactor. Although the Republican Kemp rarely discusses climate change, he has made electric vehicles a priority and has said new industries demand carbon-free electricity.

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