Scuttlebiz: Plant Vogtle site becomes area’s top private-sector employer

Jul. 7--Just when you think the massive Plant Vogtle construction project couldn't get any more, well, massive, it reaches a new milestone.

Which is exactly what happened this past week; Georgia Power announced employment at the site has hit an all-time high of 8,000.

Folks, meet metro Augusta's largest private-sector employer.

By my estimations, the number of workers building the plant's units 3 and 4 reactors now exceeds the workforce of Savannah River Site contractor Savannah River Nuclear Solutions by nearly 1,900 people.

Vogtle's workforce still pales in comparison to metro Augusta's undisputed payroll king -- Fort Gordon (with roughly 13,400 government workers and 15,900 active-duty service members) -- but 8,000 private-sector paychecks is a huge economic impact any way you slice it. Vogtle hired 400 new craft workers in June alone.

The latest available figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show the median hourly wage for all occupations in the Augusta-Aiken metro area is $16.46. I can assure you the hard hat-wearing workers at the Vogtle site earn much, much more than $16.46 per hour. Also, keep in mind that only 7,800 of the nation's 16.5 million businesses employ more than 1,000 people at a single location.

What's most interesting about the Vogtle project is hiring hasn't topped out yet; a Georgia Power spokesman told me the construction workforce won't peak until later this year.

And once the two new reactors are up and running -- 2022 is the latest estimate -- they will be staffed by 800 full-time workers. That's in addition to the 850 (give or take a dozen) operating Vogtle's three-decade-old units 1 and 2.

Aside from the employment milestone, Georgia Power also announced it placed the middle containment vessel ring for unit 4. The 2.4-million-pound hoop is one of three steel structures that house the reactor vessel.

What's the reactor vessel, you ask? That's the giant pot where magic rocks boil water. Hot water makes steam. The steam makes a big spinny thing go round and round so you can microwave popcorn and watch TV.

Nuclear-powered electric generation is a little more complex than that, but I've always preferred the pre-K explanation above all others.

Anyhoo, the final vessel ring for unit 4 is expected to be placed later this year. When all is said and done, Plant Vogtle will be America's largest nuclear power plant, pumping out a pulse-pounding 4,200 megawatts of always-on, emission-free electricity through the state's power grid.

Go on, crank up that air conditioner!

Uh, unless you happen to be one of the 140,800 Georgians receiving electric bill subsidies through the federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. In that case -- since I'm helping pay your power bill -- I'd prefer you set the thermostat at a reasonable 78 degrees.

THIS STUFF AIN'T CHEAP: It's a good idea to practice energy conservation regardless of your income bracket, because if you're one of Georgia Power's 2.3 million customers, there's a good chance your electric bill is going up next year.

The investor-owned utility is asking the Georgia Public Service Commission to approve the company's first rate increase in six years. If regulators say "yes," rates would go up 7 percent starting next year. That works out to just under $10 a month for the typical residential customer.

The proposed increase, which would generate about $2.2 billion over three years, would help the company pay environmental clean-up costs, purchase new infrastructure and deal with the aftermath of recent hurricanes and ice storms. If approved, the first round of rate hikes would take effect in January.

Boo, hiss!

But...in all fairness, Georgia Power's rates have lagged behind the overall rate of inflation for the past three decades. And the Peach State's average cost per kilowatt-hour is lower than the U.S. average, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. (I believe Vogtle's 1-cent per kilowatt hour electric generation costs had a lot to do with that; only hydro can produce power more cheaply.)

Even with a rate increase, consumers would still be paying less for electricity on an inflation-adjusted basis than they did in 1990.

If a rate hike rubs you the wrong way, don't blame the messenger, contact the Georgia PSC.

That's how things work in this representative republic we call America.

WAVE THAT FLAG: I hope your Independence Day holiday was safe, fun and involved flying the American flag. If your flag says "Carolina Visuals" on the packaging, it was actually made in America by actual Americans just a little over 1 1/2 hours southeast of Augusta.

The Carolina Visuals LLC plant in tiny Smoak, S.C., makes flags of all sizes, from the small ones you hang on your porch to the big ones that fly over federal buildings at our nation's capital.

The operation is a division of Pennsylvania-based Valley Forge Flag Co., a family-run business founded in 1882 as a burlap bag manufacturer. The 10,000 flags Carolina Visuals produces each week are made from South Carolina-sourced materials.

No earth-shattering news on this one. I just thought it was a neat story.

THIS, ON THE OTHER HAND: Here's a story that's a tad mind-bending. A group is attempting to purchase Jones Creek Golf Club ... through crowd-sourcing.

If you would have told me five years ago one of Augusta's top golf courses would have a GoFundMe account, I would have suspected you were smoking Hindu Kush or Pineapple Express. But now, the only grass we're talking about is the Bermuda that's wilting at Jones Creek's greens and fairways, which have been closed to golfers since October.

I don't want to rehash the backstory -- read my column from two weeks ago for that -- but the course is up for grabs. Joseph Hastings, a resident of the Jones Creek neighborhood that surrounds the course, wants to raise $1 million so the community can purchase the property from its absentee owner.

"My hope is that citizens across the CSRA will want to contribute even if it's just a few dollars to save this historical golf club, steeped in tradition, from becoming a permanently vacant property, a property used for high-density housing, or any other use that would diminish the natural beauty of the course," he writes on the Jones Creek GoFundMe page.

"Fairways are starting to look like forests and greens are starting to look like circles of dirt," he writes. "We must come together and act fast to help save the course before it gets too out of control."

The last time I looked at the page the fund balance was $0.

I applaud Hastings' effort. And his optimism.

WHERE DO WE GO NOW? So where are Columbia County golfers supposed to tee up? The semi-private Jones Creek course was one only one of two places -- Bartram Trail being the other -- where the general public could play a round. The West Lake and Champions Retreat courses are part of private country club developments.

The good news about the Augusta metro area is that you can still be anywhere in just about 30 minutes; there are 11 public courses and 10 semi-private ones within a 30-mile radius.

And don't forget about the 11 private clubs you can play if you're a member or a member's guest.

GREAT SCOTT!: One of those aforementioned courses, the Pointe South Golf Club off Peach Orchard Road, has recently come under new ownership.

The 138-acre property was acquired last month by Augusta resident and golf pro Scott Allen for $550,000. His company Great Scott Golf LLC, also has a liquor license request pending with the Augusta Commission.

Allen already knows the Tim Rivers/Joe Clement-designed course quite well, having served as its general manager and resident golf professional. The 6,460-yard course opened in 1991.

Nice to see somebody is interested in buying a golf course.

THEY'RE PLAYING BAS-KET-BALL: The Augusta Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Augusta Sports Council announced a whopping $5.8 million economic impact for the sports events, conferences and meetings coming to the area during July.

Topping the list is the 24th annual Nike Elite Youth Basketball League's Peach Jam at North Augusta's Riverview Park Activities Center. The tournament puts the nation's top basketball recruits on display for recruiters from the nation's biggest college programs.

'FLORIDA MAN' DOES GOOD: A new law that took effect in Florida starting July 1 will severely gut the state's certificate of need law, bringing new choice and competition to one of the nation's biggest health care markets.

Speaker of the House Jose Oliva, R-Miami, pushed for complete repeal of the state's CON laws, but weak support in the Senate support led to a compromise bill that eliminates CONs for new general hospitals and tertiary services such as organ transplants. However, nursing homes, hospice programs and "boutique" facilities, such as cancer care and orthopedic hospitals, will still require CON approval.

But at least it's a step in the right direction. Georgia, what are you waiting for? Same goes for you, South Carolina.

The CON laws that govern the two-state Augusta-Aiken metro area are among the worst, according to a 2011 report from the National Institute for Health Care Reform, which found state CON laws in Connecticut Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, South Carolina and Washington create what is essentially a "competitors veto" of new market entrants, which drives up costs and creates a culture of crony capitalism.

"In five of the six states studied -- all except Michigan -- the CON approval process can be highly subjective and tends to be influenced heavily by political relationships rather than policy objectives," the report said.

If Georgia truly wants to live up to its "pro-business" reputation, it should start by removing artificial barriers to entry in one of its largest and most important industries.

Reach Damon Cline at (706) 823-3352 or dcline@augustachronicle.com.

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