Tag Archives: MEAG

Southern Co.’s Vogtle in Doldrums, Decision Due on Sep 30

2c0f2f2a9e6fdc3b971b95b11db0fbed8/24/18 ZACK’S — The dark cloud of uncertainty hovering over The Southern Company’s SO Vogtle project does not seem to dissolve. Even after the approval of the project by Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) in December 2017, the power plant has again been hit by a fresh controversy, which can even result in the scrapping of the project. Presently, the fate of the Vogtle Projects rests on the minority holders. That is to say, if they are willing to absorb the ballooning costs of the project, only then the project will likely survive.

If the project gets scrapped, it will be a huge blow to the nuclear industry of America. Last year, South Carolina Electric & Gas — subsidiary of SCANA Corporation SCG — terminated the construction of the $18-billion VC Summer nuclear project in South Carolina. Duke Energy Corporation DUK also announced the abandonment of Lee III Nuclear Generating Station in South Carolina.

The Controversial Vogtle Project

Georgia Power, subsidiary of Southern Company, is the chief owner of the Vogtle project with 46% interest. The other co-owners include Oglethorpe Power, MEAG Power and Dalton Utilities, collectively accounting for 54% stake.

The Vogtle nuclear reactors have been grappling with cost overruns and scheduling delays since the commencement of the construction. Moreover, bankruptcy filing by Westinghouse — the major construction contractor of the two nuclear reactors of the plant — aggravated the costs further and led to more delays. Since then, the future of Vogtle project has been stuck in doldrums. The project is already running four years behind schedule, with a price tag of around $25 billion, almost double of what had been originally estimated.

Recent Roadblock

Earlier this month, Georgia Power revised the construction cost of the project, raising the price of the nuclear reactors by $2.3 billion from the prior expected level. With the revision, the total cost of the project now stands at $27 billion. Also, the investors in the project are required to re-evaluate their decision to proceed with the project by the end of September. In this regard, while Southern Company has already announced its intent to absorb the project’s $1.1 billion share of cost increase, the other three minority owners are yet to declare their decision.

Read the whole article: Zack’s Equity Research

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Will JEA Force The Shutdown Of Plant Vogtle Nuclear Construction?

19055271-15347976981380727by Michael Wald
8/21/18 WAYNESBORO

Summary

  • Georgia Power’s announcement of a $1.1 billion increase in its nuclear construction project understates the full $2.4 billion increase, which will be picked up by all of the construction partners.
  • One of the partners, MEAG Power, is facing a rebellion from JEA, a Florida utility contracted to buy its Plant Vogtle power.
  • If MEAG Power votes “no”, Georgia Power faces expensive choices of either buying out MEAG’s share or canceling the project altogether. SO shareholders will bear the cost of either choice.

If you listened to Southern Company’s (SO) second quarter earnings call, the news about increased costs for Plant Vogtle Units 3 & 4 was disheartening but not unexpected. Since that call an unhappy Florida utility might be the straw that brings down the project.

Read the whole article: Seeking Alpha

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Georgia Power’s nuclear tower teeters; EMCs ‘concerned’

Vogtle_ajc_8-17by Matt Kempner
8/6/17 ATLANTA: Our bumbling aspiration in Georgia to build more nuclear power is looking suspiciously like that wooden block game, Jenga.
You know, the one where you take turns pulling out a block at a time, hoping not to topple the teetering tower.

How many pieces can be pulled out before Georgia Power’s nuclear expansion at Plant Vogtle metaphorically collapses and takes with it billions of dollars in consumer money?

The few remaining blocks left at the project’s base look shaky to me. (Well, except maybe Georgia Power’s eagerness to continue with a project the state ensures will be delightfully profitable for the power company even though Vogtle is billions of dollars over budget and years behind on completion.)

Small community power systems across the state may be the next blocks to be yanked out of the last nuclear plant still under construction in the U.S.

If you happen to notice what just happened across the border in South Carolina, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

Read the whole article: Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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MEAG creating three subsidiaries for Vogtle funding

Vogtle_1-14by Ray Lightner
GRIFFIN 2/8/14 — The Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia (MEAG) is asking the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to allow it to create up to three wholly owned subsidiaries to help MEAG fund the expansion of the Vogtle nuclear power plant.

The expansion, adding reactors 3 and 4, has already been approved, with MEAG as one of the licensed co-owners, along with Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Georgia Power Company, Oglethorpe Power Corporation and the City of Dalton. MEAG owns 22.7 percent, Oglethorp Power owns 30 percent, City of Dalton owns 1.6 percent and Georgia Power owns the rest.

Southern Nuclear Operating Company operates Vogtle and is making the request, which would allow MEAG to create the three subsidiaries, dividing up MEAG’s 22.7 percent share of the electricity generated by the two new reactors.

Read the whole article: Griffin Daily News

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