JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Your electric bill will be going up again in less than a week because of a power plant in Georgia.
RELATED: JEA says potential rate increase ‘predominantly attributed’ to billion dollar Plant Vogtle venture
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Plant Vogtle, located in Waynesboro, Georgia, is about four hours away from Jacksonville.
However, it supplies about 10% of JEA’s energy and its clean nuclear energy. It’s also the primary reason your bill is going up Oct. 1.
The annual debt solely from Plant Vogtle is in the millions per year, JEA’s Karen McAllister explained.
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“Our annual debt service for Plant Vogtle is $170 million a year. A hundred and 70 million a year. And that’s just for debt service,“ McAllister said.
JEA initially said that the $170 million payment only included the interest. However, the utility sent an update confirming that the payment includes principal and interest payments.
To pay the debt, JEA approved another rate increase this past spring, and it will take effect next month.
Your basic monthly charge will go up from $17.50 to $19.25.
Sewer rates will go up by meter size.
Water rates will increase by about 36 cents to $6.83, depending on the meter size.
The debt for Vogtle will span 20 years. So I asked what else customers could expect.
“Rate increases this year are primarily attributable to Plant Vogtle. It’s tough to say, looking ahead, there are so many factors in terms of rate increases, but Plant Vogtle certainly is the primary reason we have rate increases this year,” McAllister said.
JEA said if Plant Vogtle didn’t exist, JEA would likely not have a rate increase.
Click here to see more details about Plant Vogtle and the rate increases.