Georgia Power's Plant Vogtle Unit 4. | Georgia Power
Published on April 29, 2024 at 12:21 pm
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Georgia Power announced Monday that Plant Vogtle Unit 4 has entered commercial operation, increasing the amount of nuclear power used by JEA customers.
JEA says about 13% of its customers’ power is supplied from Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 in Waynesboro, just over 200 miles north of Jacksonville.
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“This marks a big step for nuclear energy in our country and a key milestone for JEA as we work toward our clean energy goals,” JEA Interim Managing Director and CEO Vickie Cavey said in a news release. “We will continue to diversify our portfolio to provide sustainable and reliable energy.”
Plant Vogtle is operated by Southern Nuclear on behalf of co-owners including Georgia Power, Oglethorpe Power, Dalton Utilities and Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia, or MEAG. JEA agreed to a purchase power agreement with MEAG in 2008.
JEA officials said that the city utility will pay $250 million a year for 20 years in Plant Vogtle capital costs, estimated at a total $30.34 billion construction of the nuclear plant. That payment is through a power purchase agreement with MEAG. But the power transmission to JEA comes after years of delays and a 2023 lawsuit that tried to cancel that costly agreement for buying power from Plant Vogtle, until a federal judge said the contract is valid.
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With all four units on line, Georgia Power said Plant Vogtle is the largest generator of clean energy in the nation, expected to produce more than 30 million megawatt hours of electricity each year. Unit 4 alone can produce enough electricity to power an estimated 500,000 homes and businesses for at least 60 to 80 years. Vogtle Unit 3 entered commercial operation July 31.
JEA said it is working on an integrated resource plan to reduce carbon emissions, with a goal of 35% clean energy by 2030.
