Hearings resumed Tuesday on Georgia Power’s plans for how much energy it will generate and where that energy will come from.

Every three years, Georgia Power has to outline its energy plans for the next 20 years in a series of hearings over several months.

The utility presented its integrated resource plan, or IRP, to the state Public Service Commission last month. During this round of hearings, scheduled to last through Thursday, commission staff and other interested parties, like environmental groups, get to weigh in on those plans.

One of the main issues: whether the commission should give Georgia Power permission to pursue a license for a potential nuclear plant. The company last month said it bought land in Stewart County to explore building a nuclear power plant there.

“What Georgia Power is saying is, ‘Look, we don’t want to get behind. It takes so long to get this license, we just want to preserve our options,’” said Tim Echols, one of the five commissioners that sits on the PSC. “Do we want to let them preserve this option now and spend $175 million, or do we want to wait until Vogtle 3 and 4 are in operation?”

Vogtle 3 and 4 are the two nuclear reactors under construction at Plant Vogtle, located near Waynesboro in the eastern part of the state. Construction on the reactors is years behind schedule and over budget.

Environmental groups have also leveled criticism on Georgia Power’s IRP, charging the utility is slowing its investment in renewable energy sources, like wind and solar. Commissioners have also noted the plan doesn’t outline how it would deal with the Federal EPA’s Clean Power Plan, which is currently held up in court.