I thought you all might want to know that Georgians pay the 6th highest electric bills in the country, soon to be No. 1 once Plant Vogtle rates get added next month when Unit 4 wraps up, while the President of Southern Nuclear, Stephen Kuczynski, /1 who is building the most expensive power plant ever built on earth, is a millionaire. /2

Monday 4/1/24 Plant Vogtle 2nd new nuclear reactor (Unit 4) reached 100% power for the first time. This means big electricity rate increases of 16% are very close. This new reactor will provide only 500 MWs for GA Power customers, a tiny amount of /1
ajc.com/news/business/… energy to GA Power for its share of generating capacity. The looming 16% increase for Unit 4 is on top of an 8% rate increase when Unit 3 entered service. That is on top of the $1000 that every GA Power household paid in on-bill tariff /2

Good morning energy professionals! And nuke bros! I would like you to know that the only nuclear power plant under construction in the U.S. is Plant Vogtle. Although only one reactor is operational we now have a clear picture of costs to Georgians for nuclear power. It is astonishing. It is hair raising.

Each reactor has a generating capacity of 1,114 megawatts (MW) for a total of 2,228 MWs for both units.

I work in energy and am running for a seat on the GA Public Service Commission, except the election is on hold due to litigation.

ajc.com/politics/appea… While we wait I post on social media. One day ago I posted a list of good energy things that happened in 2023. Now I'm going to post my wish list for 2024.
1. That Georgia Power stops expanding fossil fuels. In October 27, 2023, Ga Power filed

ajc.com/news/as-climat…

At Tuesday's Ga Public Service Commission a home schooled teen spoke eloquently during the public comment period about how important nuclear energy is for national security, and thanked commissioners for their role in Plant Vogtle. Commissioners gobbled it up, heaping enormous praise on the girl. @timechols offered her an internship on the spot. @TPridemore joked about her serving on the commission. Or was it a joke? Here she is (minute 5:50):

youtube.com/live/57aMuMLiG…

Does Georgia have the dumbest Public Service Commissioners in the United States? Let's roll on towards next Monday's hearings for Plant Vogtle by hearing from each of them directly.
Let's start with Commissioner Bubba McDonald,

youtube.com/live/P85_GJ9GR… who claims that Georgians are going to be "thanking this commission for Plant Vogtle in 5 years which is going to be the cheapest power". Watch the video (one minutes). Here’s the reality: The Ga commission is poised to approve an $11 billion rate base increase for Plant Vogtle

On October 27, Georgia WAND and Nuclear Watch South filed a Petition to Hold in Abeyance with the Georgia Public Service Commission. The petition is asking the PSC to postpone hearings and not vote on Georgia Power's request to pass $7.562 billion in Vogtle construction mistakes, delays, and cost overruns to Georgia Power electric customers until after PSC elections can be held. Unless the delay is granted, hearings will be held on Tuesday through Thursday December 4th through 6th, with a final vote on Tuesday December 19th, including

Have you seen news about Georgia Power's claims to need new energy capacity? Here's one of many:

"Even with Vogtle, Georgia Power seeks more electricity sources" - WRDWwrdw.com/2023/10/28/geo… But it's not true. When we do we stop listening to a utility who has literally *never* submitted accurate forecasts or projects or budget for anything? Here's a graph depicting 15 years of false projections (colorful lines)

I don’t see how this state decarbonizes its grid if Southern Company exists. And if Georgia doesn’t decarbonize, neither does the U.S. and neither does the planet. Georgia is one of only 10 states with no decarbonization or renewable energy goals. .

"As climate warms, Georgia Power seeks to add more fossil fuels" - AJC headlineajc.com/news/as-climat…

In 2009 Georgia and South Carolina both began construction on new nuclear power: Georgia's Plant Vogtle and South Carolina's Plant Summer. Cost overruns were so extreme that by 2017 the main contractor, Westinghouse, went bankrupt.
bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2… That bankruptcy triggered a Go-No Go decision in each state. South Carolina officials decided to cancel Plant Summer. Georgia Public Service Commissioners ignored extensive public comments, energy experts, and their own PSC staff, and voted to continue.

What is the status of elections for two seats for the Georgia Public Service Commission? Georgia Power wants to raise rates a stunning 45% over the next year. Since the commission has been in regulatory capture for the past 20 years they are likely to get it. Georgia voters need a chance to decide if and how accountability happens.

The PSC election was postponed from last year’s November ballot due to litigation over racism: four Black plaintiffs alleged that the way PSC commissioners are elected is racist and violates the voting rights act.

Plant Vogtle’s hidden costs: Ga Power’s unusually high ROE (10.5% vs 9.5% industry norm) was made by the Ga PSC and @timechols to cover the financial risks of Plant Vogtle from bond markets and Wall Street shareholders due to poor management and delays of the project. Not only ROE but also the earnings band (250 basis points so really, a 12% ROE) and an unusually rich capital structure of 56% equity to 44% debt compared to industry norms of 51% equity to 49% debt that the GA PSC @timechols has been granting Ga Power since 2019.

I have posted a lot of messages on this page opposing nuclear energy as a solution to climate change. But let's not hear from me. I wonder what others think? 1. “I oversaw the nuclear industry. Now I think it should be banned”. Essay by Gregory Jaczko 5/17/22.
washingtonpost.com/outlook/i-over…

The dust has settled and it’s time to debrief what happened in Ga Power’s rate proceeding last Tuesday (12/20/22) and how it impacts Georgia Power customers. I will focus on 3 parts:

Part 1 will focus on earnings and bills.
Part 2 will focus on climate change and solar energy. Part 3 will focus on transparency and ethics.

In Georgia, rate cases are filed every 3 years. That does not mean your rates will only go up every three years. In fact rates will go up a shocking 5 times next year as I will explain now in Part 1.

Elected officials at the

Open letter to the AJC

@AJCGaPolitics @MurphyAJC @ajc @AndreJacksonAJC
@DrewKann @ajceditor

Good morning Andre and Drew,

I am frustrated with AJC coverage of the Ga PSC $3 billion rate case hearing beginning next week. Today’s Sunday AJC had a front-page story on the economy and prices as the top voter concern with a headline “Economic fear often key to elections” on page A16 of the continued front page article, yet there is no coverage of the nearly 50% Ga Power rate hikes occurring in a mere 4-year span.

Did you know? PSC Chair @TPridemore has decided that the public is too much for her to deal with. Can you image the hubris of being paid $120k/year from state taxes and deciding the people who pay your salary should not be allowed to listen to commission hearings? I cannot. @TPridemore should be grateful that anyone wants to stay and listen to complex energy regulatory policy matters and should encourage members of the public to be as involved as they can and want to be. This is a common problem with elected officials - they let the authority of