ATLANTA – The second of two new nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle has entered full commercial operation, Georgia Power officials announced Monday.
Unit 4, which went online nine months after the completion of Unit 3 at the plant south of Augusta, can produce enough electricity to power an estimated 500,000 homes and businesses.
“The new Vogtle units are a key piece of our strategy to meet the energy needs of our customers not only tomorrow, but 20 years from now,” said Kim Greene, Georgia Power’s chairman, president and CEO. “I’m so proud of the teams who have worked tirelessly to deliver the first newly constructed nuclear units in the U.S. in more than 30 years.”
The nuclear expansion at Plant Vogtle was a long time in coming. The project originally was due to be completed in 2016 and 2017 but encountered a series of delays that drove up the cost to more than double the $14 billion anticipated when the Georgia Public Service Commission signed off on the work in 2009.
The PSC voted late last year to let Georgia Power pass on to customers almost $7.6 billion of the project’s costs, which will increase the average monthly residential customer’s bill by $8.95.
Representatives of environmental and consumer advocacy groups complained as the costs escalated that Georgia Power and its utility partners in the project — Oglethorpe Power, MEAG Power and Dalton Utilities — should have more aggressively pursued renewable energy as a less costly alternative to nuclear power.
Georgia Power executives countered that nuclear energy is the only zero-emission baseload energy source available today — offering high reliability around the clock.
Last year, nuclear energy produced at plants Vogtle and Hatch provided more than 25% of Georgia Power’s electrical generation.
“This is an exciting day for all Georgians as we mark the completion of the nation’s first new nuclear units in decades. The new units at Plant Vogtle will join Georgia’s existing nuclear fleet in delivering sustainable, around-the-clock energy to support our growing economy for generations to come,” John Thomas, CEO of Dalton Utilities said. “We are thankful for the dedication of our fellow co-owners and the hard work of so many teams that remained committed to this project so that Georgia could pave the way for new nuclear development in America.”
“We have added new nuclear generation to the diverse energy resources that enhance the reliability, resiliency and affordability of our system as we work to achieve our goal to be net zero (in greenhouse gas emissions) by 2050,” said Chris Womack, chairman, president and CEO of Atlanta-based Southern Company, Georgia Power’s parent company.
“The completion of the Vogtle expansion project signifies the culmination of a remarkable journey filled with dedication, perseverance and a commitment to a cleaner energy future for Georgians,” Oglethorpe Power President and CEO Mike Smith added. “We celebrate not only the completion of this important emission-free resource but also the historic achievement it represents.”
In addition to the 800 permanent jobs created by the two new reactors, the nuclear expansion at Plant Vogtle employed more than 9,000 construction workers at the peak of the project, including engineers, welders, electricians, pipefitters and plumbers.
Comment from the Dalton Utilities Board was added to this report.