Regulators begin hearings on nuclear charges

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Executives from one of the state's largest utilities are defending the need to pass on the costs of incomplete nuclear power plant projects to customers.

The Florida Public Service Commission spent Monday taking testimony over a proposal by Progress Energy to charge an average of $4.73 a month. The money would be used to help pay for two projects on the state's west coast.

But one project has been delayed and company officials are mulling over whether to repair or shut down the existing nuclear reactor at the other site.

Progress, a subsidiary of North Carolina-based Duke Energy, has 1.6 million customers in central and north Florida.

State lawmakers in 2006 voted to let utilities pass on power plant construction costs for nuclear facilities before the plants went into service.