Google and Georgia Power announce a partnership to uprate nuclear plants for power generation.

Georgia Power, a Southern Company subsidiary, plans to pursue nuclear power uprates at four reactors with support from Google. According to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's expected uprate applications, Georgia Power will submit applications for Hatch-1 and -2 in the second quarter of 2027, and for Vogtle-1 and -2 in the last quarter of 2028. The extended power uprates would increase generating capacity through targeted upgrades to turbines, pumps, motors, and cooling systems.

Currently, Hatch-1 and -2 have a combined capacity of 1,793 MWe, while Vogtle-1 and -2 together generate 2,338 MWe. Together, these plants provide more than one-quarter of Georgia's energy supply. The uprates will not affect Vogtle-3 and -4, which came online in 2023 and 2024.

Aaron Mitchell, Georgia Power's senior vice president of strategic growth, said the utility continues to work with the Georgia Public Service Commission on programs aligned with customer clean-energy goals and the company's Customer Protection Pledge. "We appreciate Google's continued leadership in this space and partnership in developing this program, which we see as the latest example of how large-load growth can benefit all electric customers," he said.

Google's involvement centers on a subscription-based arrangement. The tech company will subscribe to a new nuclear uprate tariff structure and receive zero-emissions credits from the upgraded units' output. This structure insulates nonparticipating customers from uprate-related costs. Over the life of the units, Google's subscription is expected to generate approximately $900 million in benefits to Georgia Power customers.

Lucia Tian, director of Google Advanced Energy Technologies, said the collaboration ensures that data center infrastructure growth delivers local economic benefits. "This collaboration with Georgia Power ensures that digital infrastructure growth goes hand-in-hand with positive local impact, helping to deliver hundreds of millions of dollars in direct customer benefits and supporting a more affordable, clean, and reliable energy system for all Georgia residents."