Tag: Georgia
An 865-MW Georgia Power Coal Plant Is Showing Distress
The future of Georgia Power’s 865-MW coal-fired Plant Hammond in Floyd County, Georgia—which recently slashed more than half its workforce—is murky, company officials said August 3.
The four-unit facility that began operations in 1954 employed 190 workers in September 2016. Today, according to company officials, the plant only has 41 full-time employees.
Georgia Power Regional Director Cassandra Wheeler reportedly told members of the Rome Rotarians civic club last week that “The numbers don’t look good,” as the Rome News-Tribune reported on August 2. Wheeler reportedly said the future of the plant won’t be known until the company completes its 2019 Integrated Resource Plan, through a process with the Georgia Public Service Commission.
Georgia Power spokesperson Jacob Hawkins on August 6 told POWER that Wheeler’s comments are “generally accurate.” Hawkins added: “While our next IRP is currently under development and will be filed in 2019, we are committed to delivering reliable and affordable energy and ensuring that all of our generation facilities provide value for our customers.”…
Georgia PSC Will Decide Vogtle’s Fate on December 21
The Georgia Public Service Commission on December 11 said it will decide December 21 whether to allow construction of two new nuclear reactors at the Plant Vogtle site to move forward, or call for the project to be canceled.
Commissioners voted Monday to move up the timetable for a decision on the troubled nuclear project after noting that Georgia Power CEO Paul Bowers said his company would pass through $ 150 million in tax savings to ratepayers, if the project is canceled by year-end. The move came on the first of four days of hearings in Atlanta, Georgia, to determine the next steps for the PSC and Georgia Power with regard to the oft-delayed construction of two new AP1000 reactors at the nuclear plant near Waynesboro, Georgia.
This week’s hearings had been expected to pave the way for a PSC decision on the project’s fate, a decision originally scheduled for February 2018. POWER magazine has been among those reporting that pending changes to the federal corporate tax rate structure under consideration by Congress could accelerate that timetable.…
Georgia PSC Signals Support Continuing Vogtle Expansion
In two actions on August 15, the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) signaled its support for the Vogtle nuclear expansion project, provided it can be done economically,
Georgia Power must show revised cost and schedule estimates to finish the costly Vogtle nuclear expansion as well as indicate whether it intends to finish the much-delayed construction project in its next construction monitoring report, which is due on August 31, one motion requires.
The PSC voted 4–1 on the motion put forth by Commission Chairman Stan Wise. The motion also requires Georgia Power to address whether the commission should approve revisions to project costs and schedule.
“This vote today sends a message to the Company, the Company’s partners, ratepayers, and Wall Street that the Commission continues to be supportive of this project provided it can be done economically,” Chairman Wise said in a statement. “This information will help us in deciding the appropriateness of whether this project should go forward or not go forward.”…
Duke Energy Renewables Acquires Solar Projects in Georgia
Duke Energy Renewables, part of Duke Energy’s Commercial Portfolio, announced on September 7 that it will add six Georgia solar projects to the 2.8-GW renewable energy portfolio the company owns and operates.
The projects are relatively small in terms of capacity—averaging about 1 MW DC each (769 kW AC)—but they are the first Duke Energy has acquired in Georgia, giving it projects in 14 states (Figure 1). SolAmerica Energy developed the sites, located in the southern and central part of the state, under an engineering, procurement, and construction agreement with REC Solar, a Duke Energy affiliate.
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| 1. Duke Energy Renewables U.S. portfolio map. Courtesy: Duke Energy |
“In acquiring these solar sites, we add Georgia to our growing U.S. renewables footprint,” said Rob Caldwell, president, Duke Energy Renewables and Distributed Energy Technology. “SolAmerica and REC Solar have completed quality projects that will deliver clean energy to Georgia Power’s customers for years to come.”
The projects—constructed with panels manufactured by Yingli—are part of the Georgia Power Advanced Solar Initiative.…