ATLANTA – The nuclear expansion at Georgia Power’s Plant Vogtle has reached another milestone as it nears completion after years of cost overruns and scheduling delays.
Unit 4, the second of two new reactors being built at the plant south of Augusta, achieved 100% power on Monday night, the Atlanta-based utility announced Tuesday.
“Achieving 100% power is the latest milestone as we work to complete Unit 4 as a reliable, emission-free new energy source for Georgia,” according to a statement released by Georgia Power.
“Our teams continue testing for the unit, including safely running at various power levels and operating through real-life conditions, just as it will over the next 60 to 80 years after the unit enters commercial operation.”
Unit 3 at Vogtle went into full commercial operation last summer. Unit 4 is expected to begin operations between this month and June.
The Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) voted in December to let Georgia Power pass on to customers almost $7.6 billion of its costs in building the two additional nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle, the first in the United States since the 1980s.
The project was originally expected to cost $14 billion when the PSC approved it in 2009 but has more than doubled due to a series of cost overruns and delays in the construction schedule. The project will increase the average monthly residential customer’s bill by $8.95.
Georgia Commissioner of Transportation Russell McMurry
ATLANTA – The Georgia Department of Transportation (DOT) has awarded an $8.4 million grant to Norfolk Southern Corp. to fund freight rail improvements in Henry County.
The grant will go toward an estimated $21 million project to more than double the length of a passing track at McDonough, which will allow more efficient use of the tracks and reduce road crossings blocked by trains.
Norfolk Southern’s rail line between Macon and Atlanta is an important freight rail corridor connecting the Port of Savannah’s Garden City Terminal with metro Atlanta.
“Georgia’s freight rail network is a key economic driver and a vital component of our overall transportation network,” state Commissioner of Transportation Russell McMurry said Tuesday. “This project will provide many benefits to Henry County and the state.”
“It’s a triple win: enhancing service for our local customers, improving mainline train access across our 22-state network, and easing congestion along the way,” added Mike McClellan, Norfolk Southern’s senior vice president and chief strategy officer.
“These infrastructure improvements will bolster our operational efficiency while driving economic growth across the region, promising enduring benefits for our communities.”
The grant is part of a freight-rail improvement program the General Assembly established in 2021, which is funded through the state’s 4% sales tax on diesel fuel used in locomotives. Both Class 1 and short-line railroads are eligible.
ATLANTA – A nonprofit public interest law firm vowed Tuesday to appeal a ruling by a Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) hearing officer condemning several pieces of property in Hancock County being sought by Sandersville Railroad for a spur line.
The hearing officer declared Monday that the spur would serve a “legitimate public purpose” even though it would benefit a private business.
Sandersville Railroad filed a petition seeking authority to condemn land owned by Don and Sally Garrett in March of last year. By last July, they had been joined by other property owners after the company moved to condemn more land for the 4.5-mile Hanson spur, which would connect a private slate quarry to existing rail tracks.
“We’re not going to sit back and let Sandersville Railroad take land that has been in our family for generations, just so a rock quarry can ship rock faster, and so a few companies can increase their profits,” said Blaine Smith, one of the affected property owners. “We’re prepared to keep challenging this for as long as it takes.”
Lawyers for Sandersville Railroad argued the company has the statutory and constitutional authority to condemn the land for a public purpose. Construction of the spur would “open a new channel of trade for the underserved businesses of East-Middle Georgia,” according to the 19-page hearing officer’s ruling.
A group called the No Railroad in Our Community Coalition argued the petition for condemnation should be denied because the company failed to provide adequate notice of the legal basis on which it sought to take the property.
The Institute for Justice, representing the property owners, will file an application seeking to have the full PSC review Monday’s ruling.
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones declared Senate Bill 351 a priority for the 2024 legislative session.
ATLANTA – A trade association of internet companies is asking Gov. Brian Kemp to veto legislation requiring social media platforms to make “commercially reasonable” efforts to verify the age of users.
Senate Bill 351, which the Georgia House and Senate passed last week on the final day of this year’s legislative session, is aimed at protecting young people from cyberbullying and other negative effects of social media.
The “Protecting Georgia’s Children on Social Media Act” was a top priority of Lt. Gov. Burt Jones. It was sponsored by Sen. Jason Anavitarte, R-Dallas, chairman of the Senate Republican Caucus.
“Social media can be a very useful tool, however there are instances in which we must rein in Big Tech in order to protect the health and safety of our children,” Jones said after the Senate passed the original version of the bill in February. “This legislation is a tremendous step forward in our effort to combat cyberbullying and protect Georgia’s children.”
But Carl Szabo, vice president and general counsel for NetChoice, argued such a mandated verification requirement for social media access is unconstitutional.
“While there are many good ideas in this legislation, if implemented, it will create serious vulnerabilities for Georgians and their families while violating the U.S. Constitution,” Szabo wrote Monday in a letter to Kemp. “Ultimately, Georgia would be better served by abandoning age-verification efforts for social media and instead pursuing legislative efforts to improve online literacy for minors and their parents.”
The bill’s supporters cited numerous studies that have found overuse of social media to pose a significant danger to young people, particularly girls, increasing their risk of suicide.
Senate Bill 351 would apply the age-verification requirement to minors, meaning Georgians under the age of 16.
