Outgoing PSC Chairman: ‘I Wouldn’t Bet My House’ On Plant Vogtle Schedule

Stan Wise has been a consistent advocate for nuclear power, defending it as a clean and cost-effective way to generate electricity for the future.

Sam Whitehead / WABE

Stan Wise has been a member of the Georgia Public Service Commission since 1995, serving as chairman for several terms.

The PSC, which regulates the state’s utilities, has been at the center of the fight over nuclear power in Georgia for decades. In December, the PSC voted to allow Georgia Power to continue the construction of two new reactors at nuclear Plant Vogtle near Augusta — despite years of delays and cost overruns.

Wise has been a consistent advocate for nuclear power, defending it as a clean and cost-effective way to generate electricity for the future.



In October — a few weeks before the vote to continue the Vogtle project — Wise announced he would not run for re-election.  Then, in late October, Wise announced he would leave before his term expires at the end of 2018.

His last day was Tuesday.

In part one of a wide-ranging exit interview with Denis O’Hayer on “Morning Edition,” Wise defended his vote to continue the Vogtle expansion, while expressing doubt that the construction could meet even the latest timetables and cost estimates.

Part two of Denis O’Hayer’s “Morning Edition interview with former PSC Chairman Stan Wise, including thoughts on his early resignation, natural gas deregulation, and the debate about the influence of utilities on the PSC.