Dear Editor:

A recent announcement by the Georgia Power Company indicated that an additional $224 million would be needed to complete the construction of their nuclear power plant.  The current cost is $27 billion, nearly twice the original estimate. The additional money will cost the average rate payer, out of an estimated 2,635,000, will be $85. 

There are two significant issues here, first of which is that Snapping Shoals Electric Cooperative is operated in such a way that these cost overruns and rate increases are not necessary. 

The second is based on an estimated 206,000 households in Georgia. The $27 billion Georgia Power has spent on an as yet non functioning nuclear power plant, would have provided approximately $131,000 per Georgia household to install solar panels on every home, storage batteries in every garage and reverse electric meters that would have provided income to the home owner for any power generated by their system, beyond what is consumed. 

This is the return on investment that these ratepayers should have received from Georgia Power and how easy it would have been to have created a solar powered grid in our state.

Jay Munro

Covington