The extra fees Georgia Power customers pay for a planned nuclear expansion project and energy efficiency programs will increase by 57 cents in 2012, less than what the utility had projected a year ago.
But in 2013, the monthly nuclear fee will rise more than what Georgia Power originally said.
Georgia Power is part of an estimated $14 billion expansion project at Plant Vogtle. The utility is responsible for $6.1 billion of the project. Consumers are paying $1.7 billion in financing costs as part of a special fee on their monthly bills.
The fee started at $3.88 in January and will increase annually through 2015. Georgia Power originally projected the 2012 increase to be $1.45 for a typical monthly bill. The utility has reduced that amount to 38 cents. The additions are cumulative.
In 2013, the amount will increase another $2.09, the utility said in documents filed with the Georgia Public Service Commission.
The fee is tied to the project's construction costs and schedule, which have changed slightly, a company spokesman said.
"There's flexibility built into the construction schedule. Certain things you think would be done by a certain day are going to be pushed back," said Mark Williams, a Georgia Power spokesman.
The remaining 19 cent increase on monthly customer bills in 2012 is to pay for Georgia Power's energy efficiency programs, which are designed to help customers save energy and reduce their electricity bills.
“Both the [energy efficiency and nuclear fee increases] took effect in January 2011, so no matter how you slice it, ratepayers’ bills are increasing,” said Clare McGuire, senior counsel and consumer energy program director at Georgia Watch, a consumer advocacy group.
Under state law and utility regulatory policy, power customers don't typically pay for new generation facilities until the plants produce power. But in 2009, Georgia Power convinced the Legislature to pass Senate Bill 31, which changed that for nuclear reactors.
Georgia Power's sister company, Southern Nuclear, will operate the reactors. The company is waiting on a key license from federal regulators before it can begin heavy construction. The first reactor is expected to start producing power in 2016, and the second in 2017.
