From 6.5% to 13% with the flip of a switch.
That's the ratio by which Jacksonville's public utility JEA doubled its nuclear input to its Northeast Florida power grid.
And it happened via a much-derided and long-delayed project that is finally coming online.
"JEA customers are now receiving carbon-free nuclear energy from Plant Vogtle's Units 3 and 4 to help power our community. This marks a big step for nuclear energy in our country and a key milestone for JEA as we work toward our clean energy goals," said JEA Interim Managing Director and CEO Vickie Cavey. "We will continue to diversify our portfolio to provide sustainable and reliable energy."
Georgia Power, a Peach State utility consortium Jacksonville's power company partnered with for this new input, is also predictably celebratory.
"It's an exciting time to be a Georgian as our state continues to grow and thrive, with new demand for more clean energy each year," said Kim Greene, CEO of Georgia Power. "The new Vogtle units are a key piece of our strategy to meet the energy needs of our customers not only tomorrow but 20 years from now."
"As we mark the completion of the Vogtle 3 & 4 expansion, we're grateful for the leadership and foresight of the Georgia PSC, as well as the steadfast dedication from all of the project's co-owners. I'm also so proud of the teams who have worked tirelessly to deliver the first newly constructed nuclear units in the U.S. in more than 30 years — representing a long-term investment that will benefit our customers and the state of Georgia for decades to come."
The city committed to buying power from Vogtle in 2008. However, the relationship between customer and vendor wasn't always smooth, as costs exceeded estimates. Delays piled up, and the utility's credit rating suffered.
A few years back, when the controversial and now convicted former CEO Aaron Zahn was in control, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission dismissed JEA's request to intervene in an ongoing dispute with the Municipal Electrical Authority of Georgia over Plant Vogtle construction costs.
Zahn claimed the move sent "a message that the ratepayers in Florida don't matter." It showed "a preferred support for corporate interests over customer concerns."
Yet even then, the time frame for completion was more optimistic than ultimately happened. Expectations were a done date of November 2022 for Unit 4.
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