As climate deadlines approach, Georgia companies and governments push for faster action – WABE

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Georgia Power just celebrated a major milestone amid much pomp and show: Two new nuclear reactors near Augusta, Georgia, are now generating enough electricity to power 1 million homes without using fossil fuels or emitting planet-warming carbon dioxide.

Plant Vogtle’s new nuclear reactors are the first built in the U.S. in decades. They entered service years later than originally promised and at twice their budget, after more than a decade of construction that was marked by repeated delays and problems, including the bankruptcy of the project’s prime contractor.

At the launch event, a parade of utility executives and elected officials celebrated the project as a triumph of perseverance — and a major step forward for clean energy.

Chris Smith, director of implementation at Hyundai’s new electric vehicle plant near Savannah, also praised the initiative.

“I am very happy to be here today to support another positive step forward for clean energy in Georgia,” Smith told the crowd. “Hyundai is committed to contributing to a sustainable future for society and is committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2045.”

Smith said carbon-free energy from Plant Vogtle will help the car company meet its climate goals.

As part of this goal, Hyundai has committed to using 100% renewable energy sources from the start of mass production at its Georgia plant, scheduled for the end of this year.

And that complicates matters because even with the new reactors at Plant Vogtle, less than half of Georgia Power’s electricity is carbon-free, according to the utility. Hyundai is making up the difference on its own. The company has signed a deal to offset its Georgia power consumption with power from a solar farm in Texas.

Go Deeper: Your Guide to Georgia’s Energy and Electricity Policy

Voluntary clean energy targets like Hyundai’s are common — as are workarounds to meet the targets on time.

As climate change intensifies, that story is repeating itself in Georgia and across the country. Key deadlines for clean energy goals are approaching, and companies and local governments can’t achieve them on their own. They need support from utilities and regulators, support that some say isn’t coming soon enough.

“Your timeline is not dependent on your utility’s programs,” said Katie Southworth, who directs Southeast policy for the Clean Energy Buyers Association, which represents more than 400 members seeking to transition to net-zero carbon. “You have to have energy from day one.”

Georgia Power’s parent company, Atlanta-based Southern Company, has its own goal: net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. At the company’s annual meeting in May, CEO Chris Womack praised the progress.

“More than 80% of the planned resource additions to our system, totaling almost 10,000 megawatts from 2023 to 2030, are non-carbon emitting resources,” he said.

“Our clean energy plan clearly states that we will not be able to achieve our clean energy goals without (Georgia Power).”

David Nifong, Decatur’s energy and sustainability manager. The city is working toward achieving citywide clean energy by 2050, but Nifong said they need Georgia Power’s help to get there.

Still, Southern Company subsidiaries like Georgia Power are also opening new gas-fired power plants and postponing coal retirements, pledging to continue emitting carbon dioxide in future years.

Georgia Power and Southern Company declined to be interviewed for this article. Georgia Power has pointed to its programs to expand clean energy, while Southern says it is committed to its own net-zero emissions goal.

Still, the pace of change for these and other utilities has companies and governments worried about meeting their own clean energy goals. Some are looking outside their utility, as in Hyundai’s example, and some are entering the world of state energy regulation with the goal of changing utilities’ plans.

Decatur Energy and Sustainability Manager David Nifong said the city is adding solar panels and improving energy efficiency as it works toward a citywide clean energy goal by 2050. But, he said, Decatur can’t do it alone. The city needs help from Georgia Power.

“Our clean energy plan makes it clear that we will not be able to achieve our clean energy goals without utilities,” he said.

So Decatur joined forces with other local governments across the state to intervene before the state Public Utilities Commission, which has the final say on Georgia Power’s pricing and energy sources.

Large corporations like Microsoft are also getting involved in PSCs, citing rapidly approaching clean energy deadlines in their countries.

Even the U.S. Department of Defense, which is committed to achieving carbon-free energy by 2035, sharply criticized Georgia Power’s updated Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), which outlines the utility’s long-term plans for electricity generation, during a hearing at the State Policy Council (PSC) earlier this year.

“I am frustrated that we are probably your largest customer and nothing in this IRP program addresses any of these issues. our “The needs are significant,” said Defense Department attorney John McNutt.

Clean Energy Buyers Association partners with Georgia Power to modernize clean energy programs for large customers.

“Our members are very motivated to present solutions to utility commissions and utilities,” Southworth said.

She added that these large customers are willing to pay to add clean energy.

Other proponents of this method also claim to have made some progress.

“We need utilities that match our ambitions”

Georgia Power has committed to developing a new clean energy program, pushed by Nifong and other local officials, that will help customers install renewable energy combined with batteries that Georgia Power can use to bolster the power grid when demand increases. The recently approved IRP adds battery storage to existing solar fields at two Air Force bases.

Still, amid rising heat deaths and more extreme weather events, critics say plants continue to operate too slowly, increasing carbon emissions that climate experts say the planet cannot afford.

“We need municipal services that match our ambitions,” Southworth said.