Georgia Power is considering billing customers for its proposed nuclear reactors at Vogtle before they start producing electricity, an executive said this week.

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David Ratcliffe, CEO of Georgia Power's parent company, Southern Co., told investors the utility may ask the state Public Service Commission if it could start collecting money to pay for the multibillion-dollar, 1,100-megawatt reactors as they are being built.

Under that plan, customers would see a slight increase in their monthly bills, perhaps within the next couple of years, instead of a large hike in 2016, the company and industry experts say. Current state rules allow utilities to recover costs only after plants begin operation. Advocates of so-called pay-as-you-go plans say consumers ultimately would pay less because they limit the effects of inflation and possible interest rate increases over the long run.

"We are considering whether or not we should discuss with the PSC the idea of minimizing the financial impact by asking for a [different] process," Ratcliffe said during Southern's first-quarter earnings call. "It will be a matter of discussion here in the next year or so."

The PSC in 2006 said Georgia Power could collect about $50 million in pre-construction costs for the proposed reactors. The utility is likely to face some opposition to a pay-as-you-go plan.

"All that does is it gives them a blank check for the cost of the plant to rocket completely out of control," said Neill Herring, a lobbyist for environmental groups.

Nuclear power is making a comeback in the United States as the nation tries to lessen its dependence on natural gas and foreign oil as well as cut back on carbon emissions and other pollutants. Based on the state's expected growth, Georgia Power says it needs to add more than 7,000 megawatts of capacity and that nuclear energy is essential to achieving that goal.

Georgia could join five other states — Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, North and South Carolina — where utilities can collect money from consumers to pay for the construction costs of a nuclear plant before the plant starts up. New laws were required in those states.

"This is one approach to encourage companies to make the necessary investment [in nuclear]," said Paul Genoa, policy development director for the Washington-based Nuclear Energy Institute, an industry group. Several utilities in those states have asked to build nuclear plants because of the alternative-financing plans.

"If this legislation was not in place, we would not consider building new nuclear plants in Florida," Progress Energy Florida spokesman C.J. Drake said.

Georgia Power has not yet disclosed its estimated cost of building the two reactors, though that announcement is expected next week.

The Florida PSC still has to approve St. Petersburg-based Progress' plans to build two nuclear reactors. However, the utility has told state regulators that the costs would add an additional $7.50 a month to a typical 1,000 kilowatt-hour bill starting next year — and gradually increase to $25 a month in 2015, a year before the reactors are scheduled to start up.

Florida Power & Light Co., which wants to add two reactors near Miami, told the Florida PSC on Thursday it wants to recoup $259 million in nuclear-related costs from 2006 through 2009. If approved, the average bill for its 4.5 million customers would increase $2.51 starting next year.

Opponents say the alternative financing doesn't make sense.

"It's just an indication again that these power plants are not economical, and the only way they can make them economical is that they shift as much of the risk onto the ratepayer as possible," said Sara Barczack, safe energy director for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.

Georgia Power spokesman John Sell said the utility is a long way off from making a decision.

"We are reviewing what other states have done in terms of financing, but we have not made a decision on that issue at this time," he said.

Georgia PSC member Robert Baker remains unconvinced. "I haven't heard any persuasive argument that would support changing established policy in Georgia."

— Staff writer Margaret Newkirk contributed to this article.