Ga. PSC OKs new nukes

ATLANTA - The state Public Service Commisison approved Georgia Power's plan to build two new nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle, near Augusta.

The panel voted 4-1 on Tuesday.

Set to be completed in 2017, the reactors could be the first new nuclear units to start construction in the nation since the 1970s. The proposal must also receive an OK from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Georgia Power said the $14 billion project is needed to meet surging electricity demand in Georgia. But critics say there are questions about where the waste would be stored.

The Legislature has passed a bill that would allow the utility to collect about $1.6 billion in costs from ratepayers before the reactors go online. Gov. Sonny Perdue must still sign the bill.