nuclear-news

Georgia utility regulators are being asked to delay a Georgia Power report showing whether the Plant Vogtle nuclear expansion has fallen further behind schedule.

Additional construction delays would increase the project’s costs — and that could lead to higher power bills for many Georgians, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Some consumer and environmental groups are objecting to any delay in updates.

“The company and the project do not deserve this break in scrutiny at this critical time,” Sara Barczak, a director for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, wrote in an emailed statement to the Journal-Constitution.

“The ratepayers do not deserve this extended period of a lack of protection and transparency as their exposure potentially increases by more than a billion dollars,” Barczak said.

The delay also means the company won’t make its latest disclosure while the state legislature is in session, said Liz Coyle, the executive director of Georgia Watch.

“There is a lack of transparency in what is happening with schedule and budget at a time when the legislature could take some action,” Coyle said.

Georgia Power denied the move is an intentional effort to avoid the legislative session……….https://www.newsobserver.com/news/business/article225448705.html