New U.S. nuclear unit Vogtle 3 enters commercial operation

The new U.S. nuclear unit Vogtle 3 has entered commercial operation. Construction of two AP1000 units at the Vogtle plant began more than 35 years after the last nuclear construction project in the U.S. The unit began operating after roughly 10 years. The project was hit not only by Westinghouse’s bankruptcy, but also by rising completion costs.

U.S. company Georgia Power announced that its new nuclear unit Vogtle 3 has entered commercial operation. The two AP1000 units, with an installed capacity of 1120 MW, at Vogtle 3 and 4 are the first nuclear units to begin construction in the U.S. after a long nuclear hiatus. Most U.S. reactors were built in the 1970s and 1980s

“It is important that we make these kinds of long-term investments and see them through to completion. We want to continue providing our 2.7 million customers with clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy. Today’s success is a testament to our commitment, and it is the first day of the next 60 to 80 years in which Vogtle 3 will deliver clean and reliable energy to our customers,” said Kim Greene, CEO of Georgia Power.

Construction of Vogtle 3 began in March 2013, and the reactor first achieved criticality exactly 10 years later. The unit was connected to the power grid in April, and Georgia Power conducted tests at various power levels. The sister unit Vogtle 4 successfully completed hot functional tests in May, and the current schedule calls for it to enter operation around the turn of the year.

Both units are designed to operate for 60 years, with the option of extending their lifetimes by a further 20 years. According to Georgia Power, the Vogtle nuclear power plant, with a total installed capacity of nearly 4.5 GW (including the new units), will become the largest producer of clean electricity in the U.S.

“The completed third unit and the fourth unit in the final stages of construction and testing show how new nuclear power can and will play a vital role in achieving a clean energy future for the United States,” said Chris Womack, president and CEO of Southern Company.

Westinghouse bankruptcy

After Westinghouse went bankrupt in 2017, Georgia Power and Southern Nuclear, both subsidiaries of Southern Company (which owns 45.7%), took over the project to build the two new nuclear units. The other owners are Oglethorpe Power with 30%, MEAG Power with 22.7% and Dalton Utilities with 1.6%.

Due to rising projected costs, the owners voted several times on whether to continue the project, each time deciding to complete it. At the time, they expected completion costs of around 9-10 billion dollars and the third unit to enter operation in 2021. Since then, the project has been delayed by just under two years. The total cost of building both units is estimated at 30 billion dollars (over 650 billion CZK).