The Georgia Public Service Commission today approved a Procedural and Scheduling Order in Docket 29849 for Georgia Power Company’s Twelfth Semi-annual Construction Monitoring Report for Plant Vogtle Units Three and Four. The schedule establishes a series of hearings on the Company’s request to the Commission to verify and approve actual expenditures made on the construction of the units through December 31, 2014. 

The hearing and filing schedule is as follows:

• May 1, 2015-Georgia Power files direct testimony
• June 2, 2015-Commission hearing on Georgia Power testimony
• June 10, 2015-Commission Staff and Interveners may file direct testimony
• June 23, 2015- Commission hearing on Staff and Interveners’ testimony
• July 10, 2015-Georgia Power may file rebuttal testimony
• July 23, 2015-Commission hearing on Georgia Power rebuttal testimony
• August 7, 2015-Briefs due from all parties
• August 18, 2015-Commission issues decision at regular Administrative Session

In the order, the Company and the Commission agree that any request to amend the certified cost of $6.113 billion will be postponed until the completion of Vogtle Unit Three scheduled for June 2019. The Commission Order also recognizes that “the certified cost approved by the Commission does not constitute a cost recovery cap.  The Commission also recognizes that neither the certificate itself nor the Stipulation in VCM 8 should be construed as creating a cost recovery cap.” The Commission set the certified cost in its order approving the construction of Vogtle Units Three and Four on March 17, 2009.

Commissioner Tim Echols said, “With the EPA bearing down on our coal plants, finishing these reactors is paramount if we are to comply with their new rule," said Echols.  "This vote preserves our agreement to deal with any added costs after unit three is online and generating electricity.”

“This is a good project and remains a good project for Georgia,” added Commissioner Doug Everett.

“I am pleased that we will have the first two new nuclear facilities in the country that I believe will serve the ratepayers into the next century,” said Commissioner Stan Wise.

In other action, the Commission approved a $54 million credit for the approximately 1.4 million residential natural gas customers on the Atlanta Gas Light (AGL) distribution system. Residential customers will receive the monthly credit on their AGL base charge beginning with their June 2015 natural gas bills for the next ten years, or about $5.4 million a year. The credit is the result of savings achieved as a result of the AGL Resources merger in 2011 with Nicor Corporation; an Illinois based Natural Gas Distribution Company. The Commission approved a motion by Commissioner Lauren “Bubba” that requires natural gas marketers to notify their customers of the credit either through a message on their bill or a bill insert. The credit will continue until June 2025.