An energy revolution just took place in Georgia. When no one else in the nation could, Georgia completed the first nuclear energy plant in the country in over three decades. Thanks to the leadership of Chairman Jason Shaw, the Georgia Public Service Commission and the utilities of our state, we have further diversified our state’s energy mix that will reliably serve our citizens and industries beyond the lifetimes of everyone reading this column.

Georgia has not always been an industrial economy. After the Civil War, great leaders strategized about how to move from an exclusively agrarian economy to one that can compete on the national and international stage. It was Georgia Power that built the first power plants in Georgia in the 1880s and installed the first streetlights in Atlanta and Macon during that same decade. This was economic development in its infancy, but it didn’t remain as an infant for long. Georgia Power built dams on the Tallulah and Chattahoochee Rivers to power Atlanta and the textile industry which created jobs for our citizens and a brighter future for their children.

Over time, much more energy production would be added. As a student of history, I know that there was a monumental struggle to fund and complete these power projects over the last century, just as there has been with Plant Vogtle.

I recently took the opportunity to speak before the Georgia Public Service Commission with an array of other speakers from across the political spectrum to put into context the significance of this power plant. Representatives from industry, labor, elected officials, student groups, environmental voices, and consumer advocates have either signed onto the cost recovery agreement or came to hearings in Atlanta to voice support for the adding of nuclear energy to our mix. Georgia has been recognized as the leader in economic development for many years, and it now seems as though we will emerge as the only state to have the courage and perseverance needed to complete the first nuclear plant in the United States in 35 years. This plant will provide clean, reliable base load energy for the next 60 to 80 years, positioning our state and our people for continued economic growth.

History will judge this to be a critical turning point in the future narrative of our state. We will now be creating higher paying jobs that rely on a strong grid and reliable carbon-free energy for the industries of the future. Projects like this are challenging, but the tenacity of the Georgia Public Service Commission (which regulates Georgia Power) and the other state utilities that partnered and persevered to see this project to completion deserve thanks for today, and for the energy of tomorrow for what’s been accomplished here.

As we enter the holiday season, it’s a time to give thanks and recognize those who have worked diligently to ensure our citizens have the opportunity to open businesses and have careers that support their families. On behalf of our business community, I would like to thank our hometown elected official, Public Service Commission Chairman Jason Shaw, for his steadfast leadership on this very difficult and important issue that will impact Georgians for many decades to come.