Google backs Georgia nuclear capacity boost

Nuclear power plant cooling towers near a data center, illustrating clean energy deal for cloud capacity

Key Points

01Georgia Power and Google file a nuclear uprate agreement with Georgia regulators
02Google to subscribe to a new NU-1 tariff and receive Zero-Emission Credits
03Planned uprates at Plant Hatch aim to add about 96 MW of capacity
04Georgia Power projects about $900 million in customer benefits if approved

Google–Georgia Power nuclear uprate deal

Georgia Power has submitted filings to the Georgia Public Service Commission outlining an agreement under which Google will support nuclear capacity increases at Georgia Power’s owned portions of Plants Vogtle and Hatch. The filings, entered on September 21, 2026 under Dockets 44280 and 56002, describe a new Nuclear Uprate (NU-1) tariff that will govern Google’s participation.

Under this structure, Google will subscribe to the NU-1 tariff and receive Zero-Emission Credits representing the carbon-free attributes of the additional nuclear output. The arrangement links new nuclear capacity to a large, long-term power consumer, aligning Google’s energy sourcing with incremental low-carbon generation.

Details of the planned nuclear uprates

The filings seek regulatory approval for a new extended power uprate at Plant Hatch units 1 and 2. Georgia Power states that the uprate work at Hatch and related efforts at its nuclear fleet would allow the facilities to add approximately 96 megawatts of new capacity to the electric grid serving its customers.

Georgia Power projects that, over the life of the nuclear units, the subscription-based program anchored by Google’s participation is expected to enable about $900 million in benefits to customers. These projected benefits are tied to the additional output that would come from the uprated units.

Customer protections and program design

The NU-1 tariff is described as a subscription-based structure designed to shield non-participating customers from incremental costs associated with the uprate work. This framework aims to ensure that only entities choosing to subscribe to the new tariff, such as Google, bear the costs tied directly to the capacity upgrades.

By structuring the program in this way, Georgia Power positions the uprates as a means to expand nuclear capacity while managing cost impacts for the broader customer base. The projected customer benefits and cost protections are central elements of the regulatory proposal.

Regulatory approval and data center context

The agreement between Georgia Power and Google is contingent on approval by the Georgia Public Service Commission. Until the commission rules on the NU-1 tariff and the extended power uprate at Plant Hatch, the proposed subscription arrangement and capacity additions remain prospective.

Commenting on the broader approach, Lucia Tian, Director of Advanced Energy Technologies at Google, said that Google data centers are long-term investments in the communities where they operate, helping catalyze local economic development and accelerate clean energy deployment. The filings position the NU-1 program as a way to connect such large, long-lived power needs with increased carbon-free nuclear output in Georgia.

Key Takeaways

01The proposed NU-1 tariff ties new nuclear capacity to a specific large customer, aligning cost responsibility with direct beneficiaries.
02Georgia Power’s plan uses a subscription model to expand nuclear output while aiming to protect non-participating ratepayers from new uprate costs.
03If approved, the uprates at Plant Hatch and related work would modestly increase capacity while delivering sizable projected lifetime customer benefits.
04The agreement illustrates how data center demand is being paired with carbon-free generation through structured long-term power arrangements.

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