Fitch Ratings upgraded $4.2 billion in Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia bond debt to A-minus from BBB-plus.
The upgrades affect $1.7 billion of Plant Vogtle units 3 and 4 project M bonds and $2.5 billion of Plant Vogtle units 3 and 4 project J bonds. Simultaneously, Fitch affirmed its BBB-plus rating on $1 billion in Plant Vogtle units 3 and 4 project P bonds.
Fitch noted the
With construction complete, the credit quality primarily stems from contract payment terms and credit quality of the MEAG Power project participants and two purchase power agreement off-takers, Fitch said.
The purchaser credit quality of the J and M projects is stronger than that of the P project, Fitch said, explaining the higher rating on the former projects' bonds.
Fitch said the J, M, and P bonds have good revenue defensibility as its contracts with customers require they pay for the electricity whether or not they accept it.
On a more cautious note, Fitch said MEAG has high leverage but this was "less of a consideration" in the ratings than the "take-or-pay" nature of its customer contracts.
MEAG Power is a public corporation that provides wholesale electricity to municipally owned electric distribution systems. Load growth has been healthy, with a 6.1% increase in 2021 and 9.2% in 2022, before a 1.3% dip last year. Electric demand stemmed partially from cryptocurrency mining operations. Partly because of additional mining, load growth in 2024 is expected to gain more than 15%, Fitch said.
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