Georgia will need to produce more than 2,000 megawatts of additional electricity annually by 2016 to keep the lights on, the computers running and the cellphones charged.

A representative from the Embassy of France told the state House Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications committee on Thursday that the bulk of that electricity should come from nuclear power.

"Nuclear reactors should be the base load for any electricity production," said Jacques Figuet, the counselor for nuclear affairs for the French Embassy.

France has 59 nuclear reactors in 20 sites. The units produce 88 percent of the nation's electricity.

In the United States, utilities are revisiting the idea of building more nuclear plants as one way to increase the nation's energy independence and decrease greenhouse gas emissions.

Georgia Power wants to build two additional 1,200-megawatt reactors at its Vogtle plant near Waynesboro. The utility is preparing to file an application with the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which looks at safety and siting. However, the company also needs approval from the state Public Service Commission on how much the units would cost.

Reactors are expensive, and at this point there are unclear answers on what to do with the radioactive waste. Congress has designated Yucca Mountain in Nevada as a waste depository, but it is not certain whether that site will be used.

Figuet told the committee that France recycles about 20,000 tons of its spent nuclear fuel each year, prompting Rep. Bob Smith (R-Watkinsville) to rhetorically ask whether the same can be done here.

"There's Yucca Mountain, where we're spending billions of taxpayer dollars, and we can't even open it for one shred of spent fuel rods," Smith said.

Congress passed a law forbidding the reprocessing of nuclear waste, said Lynn Wallace, a spokeswoman for Georgia Power.

PSC member Robert Baker said the agency is preparing a plan for how the state will meet its estimated need for an additional 2,000 megawatts of electricity starting in 2016 or 2017. He said the commission will entertain proposals for nuclear power but will also likely look at additional power from coal or other fossil fuels.

"We have a need to serve consumer demand, but there hasn't been any decision on how the generation is going to be powered," Baker said. "All we're trying to do is find the best option."