Georgia

  • Plug Power’s Georgia Hydrogen Plant Sets U.S. Production Mark

    New York-headquartered Plug Power said the company’s hydrogen plant in Woodbine, Georgia, produced 300 metric tons of liquid hydrogen in April of this year, the facility’s highest monthly output to date and a new benchmark for the U.S. hydrogen industry.

  • What Was Learned from Building New Nuclear Reactors?

    Georgia Power’s Plant Vogtle 3 and 4 are the only new reactors that have been built in the U.S. in over 30 years. At the start, Georgia Power executives claimed that, unlike the first two reactors, Vogtle 3

  • Ratepayers First: The Economic Case Against Nuclear’s Data Center Dreams

    As an energy professional in Georgia with a front row seat to the construction of Plant Vogtle, I found the October 23 Washington Post editorial endorsing nuclear energy as a tool for combating climate change astonishing. Georgia is the first state to build nuclear power in 30 years and the editorial board profoundly mischaracterized what […]

  • Power Demand from Data Centers Keeping Coal-Fired Plants Online

    The power generation sector is looking at numerous ways to provide enough electricity to satisfy demand from data centers. Bloomberg Intelligence recently said its research shows data centers, buildings filled with servers and other computing equipment for data storage and networking that supports operations and artificial intelligence (AI), could be responsible for as much as […]

  • Nuclear Power Startup Plans 6-GW Fleet of U.S. Plants

    A Kentucky-based group has announced plans to build a 6-GW fleet of nuclear power stations in the U.S., looking to take advantage of bipartisan support for nuclear technology and the need to build more baseload, zero-carbon sources of energy. The Nuclear Company, headquartered in Lexington, said its business model would lean on “proven, licensed technology […]

  • Nuclear Energy—A Technology That Must Be Continued

    Dr. David Gattie, a University of Georgia engineering professor, recently tweeted, “Nuclear is critical, but the priority must be U.S. national security and ensuring America’s competitive advantage over China and Russia in nuclear science, engineering and technology—not just about climate change.” As I sit in Warsaw, Poland, just a train ride to the Ukrainian border, […]

  • DOE Announces Support for Plug Power Hydrogen Production Sites

    The U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) announced it was preparing to make as much as a $1.66 billion loan guarantee to Latham, New York-based Plug Power, with the money earmarked for construction of as many as six clean hydrogen facilities across the U.S. The DOE on May 14 said the funds were part of a […]

  • A Star Is Born, as Plant Vogtle Nuclear Expansion Enters Service

    I was surprised at the surge of emotions I felt as the new Vogtle reactor came online and into commercial operation.  The construction of the project was massive—more than 7,000 workers toiled. The project has had delays. Costs for the two-unit expansion at Vogtle soared. But in the end, Plant Vogtle had more lives than a […]

  • Clean Energy Is Not Cheap—but the Payoff Is Worth It

    Electricity costs are rising across America—and a big part of it is due to our efforts to make it “cleaner.” Some states have contorted themselves into a pretzel to make it happen, leading to occasional mass outages and other issues. Even in Georgia, electricity generation is no longer the leading source of carbon emissions according […]

  • Major Battery Plant to Support EVs Announced for Georgia

    The market for U.S. manufacturing of batteries for the electric vehicle (EV) sector continues to grow. The latest announcement comes from South Korea-based LG Energy Solution (LGES), which together with Hyundai Motor Group has formed a joint venture (JV) for a battery cell factory in Georgia. The announcement on May 26, during a signing ceremony […]

  • The POWER Interview: FREYR Leads Wave of New Battery Manufacturing

    Growth in the energy storage market, including the transportation sector, has spurred a ramp-up in global battery manufacturing and investment in new technologies. Passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in the U.S. has brought a flurry of announcements from foreign companies eager to build manufacturing plants in America. FREYR, a Norway-based company, late last […]

  • The POWER Interview: Challenges, Opportunities for Energy Storage

    The market for energy storage projects continues to grow as utilities recognize the benefits of storage for demand response, along with the integration of renewable energy resources to the power grid. Incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) for standalone storage provide even more support for the sector. Storage companies are growing, and more deals […]

  • Pipe Issue Delays Startup of New Vogtle Nuclear Unit

    Startup of the first of two new reactors at the Vogtle nuclear plant in Georgia is being pushed back to at least April, one month after officials with Georgia Power had planned to start generating electricity from the unit. Georgia Power, part of Atlanta-based Southern Co., announced the latest setback for the oft-delayed two-unit expansion […]

  • RWE’s U.S. Hickory Park solar project with co-located storage facility in operation

    195.5 megawatt facility located in southwest Georgia Solar PV array coupled with 40 megawatt 2-hour battery energy storage system Project has a 30-year utility contract Power Purchase Agreement with Georgia Power AUSTIN, Texas, June 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Silvia Ortin, CEO RWE Renewables Americas: “Projects like Hickory Park, With its co-located battery storage systems, will […]

  • Oft-Delayed Vogtle Expansion on Track for 2022 Start

    The two-unit expansion at the Plant Vogtle nuclear power facility in Georgia remains a work in progress, a project that still holds the promise of emissions-free electricity even as construction delays and cost overruns continue to spark debate about its future. Proponents, including Georgia regulators and nuclear energy advocates, remain optimistic about the amount of […]

  • Vogtle Start Dates Pushed Back Again

    Georgia Power has again pushed back the in-service dates for two new reactors at the Vogtle nuclear power plant, with Units 3 and 4 now projected to come online in the third quarter of 2022 and the second quarter of 2023, respectively. Georgia Power in an Oct. 21 news release said its needs more time […]

  • NRC Cites Problems at Vogtle, May Increase Project Oversight

    Continuing issues with the two-unit expansion of the Vogtle nuclear power plant in Georgia have led federal regulators to say they are considering increasing oversight of the project. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on Aug. 26, in a letter to Southern Nuclear, which is leading the project along with its sister company Georgia Power, […]

  • More Vogtle Delays; Experts Target Mid-2022 Startup at Earliest

    Engineering experts and financial consultants involved with oversight of the two-unit expansion of the Vogtle nuclear power plant in Georgia said the project’s startup now likely will be delayed until the summer of 2022. They also said the project faces more cost overruns. In testimony filed June 7 with the Georgia Public Service Commission, the […]

  • Southern Announces Delay in Testing at Vogtle

    Southern Co. has announced another delay in hot functional testing for the first unit of its two-unit expansion at the Vogtle nuclear plant in Georgia. The utility in a March 19 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said its subsidiary Georgia Power “now expects the start of hot functional testing for Unit 3 […]

  • Walton EMC and Silicon Ranch Announce Commissioning of Two Solar Farms for Facebook’s Data Center in Georgia

    MONROE, Ga. (Jan. 19, 2021) – Walton Electric Membership Corporation (EMC), a consumer-owned utility with a reputation for energy innovation, and Silicon Ranch, one of the nation’s largest independent power producers, announced today that two more solar facilities are now operational in Georgia to help support Facebook’s operations in the state. Approximately 450 people, the […]

  • Georgia Power: New Vogtle Unit Still Set for 2021 Startup

    The target in-service dates for two new reactors at the Vogtle nuclear power plant site in Georgia remain November 2021 and November 2022, respectively, Georgia Power said in a filing this week with the state’s Public Utility Commission. The utility on Aug. 31, in its “Twenty-third Semi-annual Vogtle Construction Monitoring Report,” said work on the […]

  • Nation’s Largest Community Solar Program Set to Launch

    Florida Power & Light (FPL) on March 3 received approval from state regulators to launch the nation’s largest community solar program. FPL’s $1.8 billion SolarTogether project will more than double the amount of available community solar power nationwide. The program, unanimously approved Tuesday by the Florida Public Service Commission (FPSC), adds almost 1.5 GW of […]

  • Georgia Commissioner: EVs Help Utilities and Ratepayers

    There’s general agreement among industry analysts that sales of electric vehicles (EVs) will continue to grow. Those same analysts, though, may not agree on the pace of growth. BloombergNEF (BNEF) in its “Electric Vehicle Outlook 2019” report said it expects yearly passenger EV sales will hit 10 million in 2025, up from just more than […]

  • EPA Overrides Subpart D in Newly Proposed Federal Coal Ash Permitting Rule

    Only “high hazard” CCR units will be subject to immediate compliance deadlines under a newly proposed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule that revises federal permit requirements for the management of coal combustion residuals (CCRs) at power plants. If finalized, the rule will apply to all coal facilities in Indian country and the 48 U.S. states […]

  • EPA Urges States to Submit CCR Programs Even as Coal Ash Regulatory Overhaul Continues

    The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on June 24 proposed to partially approve Georgia’s permit program for the disposal of coal combustion residuals (CCR). As it did so, it gave other states some advice: Follow Georgia’s lead and assume oversight of coal ash that power plants dispose within your borders. The preliminary approval marks another important […]

  • N.C. Officials Order Duke Energy to Excavate Coal Ash Ponds

    North Carolina officials have ordered Duke Energy to excavate all its coal ash storage ponds in the state, saying the utility’s current plan for its coal ash sites does not sufficiently protect groundwater. The directive issued April 1 comes after regulators in other states, including Virginia, issued similar rulings regarding coal ash disposal in those […]

  • Vogtle Loan Guarantees Praised, Criticized

    Energy Secretary Rick Perry on March 22 said his department will guarantee up to $3.7 billion in additional loans to finance continued construction of two new nuclear reactors at the Vogtle plant in Georgia. While Perry and other government officials stressed the importance of the project to the U.S. nuclear industry, critics called it a […]

  • RES Breaks Ground on America’s Largest Bifacial Solar Farm

    The 160 MWac project in Georgia ushers in a new era of high-efficiency solar. 21 March 2019 – RES (Renewable Energy Systems), a leader in the engineering and construction of wind, solar, transmission, and energy storage projects worldwide, has announced the start of construction on the Southern Oak Solar Project in the state of Georgia. […]

  • POWER Notebook: Alabama Power Says Closing Coal Plant Will Cost $740 Million

    Several developments worldwide impacted the power generation landscape in the past week, including more news about the closure of a coal-fired power plant in Alabama, the restart of a geothermal facility in Hawaii, and construction of a biomass-fueled power plant in Japan. In addition, a company said it plans a $150 million investment in three […]

  • Deadline Extended for Vote on Future of Plant Vogtle

    The drama over the fate of the Plant Vogtle nuclear expansion in Georgia continued September 25 as the four co-owners of the project sparred over conditions that one of the co-owners, Oglethorpe Power, wants in order to secure its support for moving forward with the project. A vote on the future of the oft-delayed, massively […]