ATLANTA — State lawmakers will soon hear from a power company executive about the safety of four nuclear reactors in Georgia.

Southern Co. executive Dennis Madison is scheduled to appear Thursday before the House Energy Committee to discuss nuclear safety.

The Atlanta-based Southern Co. operates two nuclear power plants in Georgia. Madison is the site vice president of the Edwin Hatch Nuclear Plant in Baxley. The two reactors at that facility are similar to those at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in Japan, which has struggled to avoid a full meltdown and had radioactive releases following a March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

The power company also operates two reactors at the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant near Waynesboro. It's seeking permission to build two more reactors at that site.