Georgia Power considers building nuclear plant in Stewart County

ALBANY — The Georgia Public Service Commission will meet late next month to consider Georgia Power Company’s Integrated Resource Plan, which includes the possibility of building a nuclear power plant along the banks of the Chattahoochee River in rural Stewart County.

The Southern Company, GPC’s parent company, owns 7,000 acres of property near Omaha, which is located in the northwestern part of the county.

The PSC vote will conclude a six-month process of hearings, filings and information exchange regarding GPC’s long-term (20-year) plans both now and in the future. The 20-year plan must be updated every three years.

“One of many points of discussion during this IRP process has been the property and preliminary activities in Stewart County,” GPC spokesperson John Kraft said. “We are committed to preserving the option to build new nuclear generation to meet customers’ electric needs in the most reliable and cost-effective manner. However, Georgia Power has not committed to building another nuclear plant or announced any plans.”

Kraft stressed that no decision had been made on the construction of a future plant and that the company is just preserving its future options.

“We have only taken steps to preserve nuclear as an option for the future, such as selecting the site in Stewart County that is suitable for further study and evaluation,” Kraft said. “Again, we are only undertaking activities that are required given the long lead times associated with the development, licensing and construction of nuclear generation.”

The company has begun preliminary work, including geological and water studies, on the 7,000-acre tract.

“Making this decision requires thorough and detailed and years of effort to gain the necessary regulatory approvals,” GPC Chairman, President and CEO Paul Bowers said in a recent news release. “We continue to believe that nuclear energy is a vital part of a diversified generation mix for our customers and the state of Georgia.”

The company operates two nuclear power plants in the state — Plant Hatch near Baxley and Plant Vogtle near Waynesboro. GPC is currently constructing two more units at Plant Vogtle to double the plant’s electricity-generating output.

As GPC learned with the new units at Vogtle, it takes about seven years to secure a combined construction and operating license from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and then another decade after that to build a nuclear plant. At the earliest, it would be after 2030 before a new nuclear plant would be built, Bowers said.

“Our focus is to provide clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy for our customers — that will never change,” Bowers said. “The Stewart County evaluation is an effort to ensure we hold true to that focus.”

Contacted Thursday, Stewart County Commission Chair Joe Lee Williams said he was aware of the possibility of a new power plant near Omaha, but he lacked specifics on the issue.

“We have had a Georgia Power representative talk to the commission, but that’s about it,” Williams said. “Other than that, I don’t have enough information yet to make a comment.”

As an aside, should GPC decide to build a plant, the company will have to decide between nuclear or natural gas steam generation. Nuclear seems to be the company’s preferred option, but the Sabal Trail Gas Pipeline could come into play. The pipeline, when complete, will be capable of moving 1 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day and runs right through the middle of Stewart County.

When asked about the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear vs. natural gas, a source said Thursday nuclear plants are subject to rigorous regulatory and license review and are more expensive to build, but future costs are relatively fixed. With natural gas, there is less scrutiny and the plants cost less to build, but fixed costs for gas can vary wildly because of market volatility.