US-based Georgia Power, a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Southern Co, has announced that unit 4 at the Vogtle nuclear expansion project near Waynesboro, Georgia, has begun commercial operation. Unit 4 was connected to the grid in March following initial criticality, which was achieved in mid-February.
Vogtle 3&4 are both 1,117 MWe Westinghouse AP1000 pressurised water reactors (PWRs). Unit 3 began commercial operation in July 2023. The two units were originally expected to cost about $14bn and to enter service in 2016 and 2017 but suffered a series of delays, including Westinghouse’s bankruptcy in 2017. The total cost of the project to build Vogtle 3&4 is now put at more than $30bn. Georgia Power owns 45.7% of the project; Oglethorpe Power Corp owns 30%; the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia (MEAG) owns 22.7%; and the city of Dalton owns 1.6%. The units are operated by Southern Nuclear.
The Vogtle site already hosts to two operating pressurised water reactors. With all four units now in operation, Georgia Power says Plant Vogtle is the largest generator of clean energy in the US, expected to produce more than 30 GWh of electricity each year. Nuclear energy in 2023, provided more than 25% of Georgia Power's generation, including Plant Vogtle and Plant Hatch in Baxley, Georgia.
“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 Chairman, President & CEO. “I’m also 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 – representing a long-term investment that will benefit our customers and the state of Georgia for decades to come.”
In addition to the 800 permanent jobs created by the new units, the site employed more than 9,000 onsite jobs at the peak of construction including engineers, welders, electricians, pipefitters, plumbers and many more, Georgia Power noted. Chris Womack, Chairman, President & CEO of Southern Company, said the new Vogtle units “not only will support the economy within our communities now and in the future, they demonstrate our global nuclear leadership”.
Image: Vogtle unit 4 (courtesy of Georgia Power)
