Gov. Nathan Deal said this week that it would be a “good solution” if Southern Co. absorbed more of the extra costs incurred while building new reactors at Plant Vogtle.

The Republican told WSAV-TV that the state’s Public Service Commission must ultimately decide whether Southern Co. subsidiary Georgia Power can increase its construction budget by $737 million. The utility has announced it cannot meet its original $6.1 billion budget to build two reactors.

Customers will pay the cost of building the new plant, unless utility regulators block the company from passing along construction costs they find objectionable.

“There are certainly points to be made on the side of those who say the company should absorb more of the cost and not pass it on to ratepayers. Certainly if that could be done, that would be a good solution,” Deal told the TV station. “But I think we can’t lose sight of the fact that those two nuclear reactors will be the first new nuclear reactors in the United States in several decades, and it’s in my opinion a necessary impact of keeping the state of Georgia with adequate power resources.”

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