The head of the Southern Co. says permission to build a new nuclear plant in eastern Georgia may come early next year, later than originally planned.

Southern Co. CEO Tom Fanning told analysts Wednesday that administrative rules could mean that federal regulators will not give the utility a license to build two more nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle near Augusta until early 2012. The Atlanta-based power company has planned on getting that license this year.

Fanning says that getting a license in early 2012 should not affect the project's overall cost or timeline.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is still reviewing the design of Westinghouse Electric Co.'s AP1000 nuclear reactor, which would power the expanded Plant Vogtle.

That reactor must be approved before Southern Co. can get its license.

Tags: Plant Vogtle, Southern Co., Tom Fanning