If Georgia Power stonewalls on cost overruns, will it lose
at least one Commissioner this time?


Long-time nuclear supporter Tim Echols suggested at

the hearings this morning
that cost overruns at nuclear Plant Vogtle should be capped like Southern Company
was forced to do for Kemper Coal by the Mississippi PSC.
Standard & Poor’s already

downgraded SO because of Kemper Coal
and two analysts have

downgraded SO for sticking to coal and nukes instead of doing more solar and wind.
If SO’s majority part Georgia Power loses the GA PSC, it could be curtains
for Plant Vogtle’s new nukes.

Ray Henry wrote for AP this morning,

Southern Co. challenged on nuclear plant costs,

Southern Co. subsidiary Georgia Power has asked to raise the budget
for its share of massive project by $737 million to roughly $6.85
billion.

Public Service Commission Tim Echols asked whether the firm has
considered offering a deal like one it reached in Mississippi over a
separate plant that also proved expensive to build. The company has
absorbed $540 million in losses in Mississippi and could face more.

Remember, Tim Echols has for two years now been

one of GA PSC’s staunchest supporters of solar power.
Back in March, the same Commissioner said about Plant Vogtle,

according to Hope Jensen for WRDW 15 March 2013,

“The questions is: ‘Is this still the best deal for our people?'”
said Echols, and he says from what he’s seen, the answer is yes.
“Even with this cost increase, [it’s] still $4 billion cheaper to
operate this plant than the next best thing, which would be natural
gas.”

How long will it take Tim Echols to realize natural gas isn’t the next best thing?
Solar power is a better thing than than either nukes or gas:
cheaper to build, and far cheaper to operate, because solar requires no fuel.

Natural gas is a backup for solar and wind.

Last fall we saw

Fitch reaffirm SO’s ratings the day after GA PSC rubberstamped
Vogtle cost overruns.
Looks to me like GA PSC breaking that rubber stamp could stop the
flow of other people’s money into Plant Vogtle.

It’s time to ask the same question of Georgia Power that

Gloria Tatum asked of Southern Company:

…why are you gambling the company’s future and the health of their
environment and their citizens on antiquated, dangerous and very
expensive nuclear energy, when the Southeast is an untapped gold
mine of safe, clean and cheap solar energy. If Germany — which
is a much colder country — can meet half of their energy needs
from solar in just a few years, why can’t Georgia?

Dear Tim Echols and GA PSC: now that

you have affirmed a week ago that solar is viable in Georgia,
isn’t it time to stop

the Vogtle boondoggle
and get on with clean sun and wind power?

-jsq