Vogtle Unit 3 enters operation as first new nuclear reactor in 30 years

Southern Company’s Plant Vogtle Unit 3 has entered into commercial operation, Georgia Power announced Monday, the first newly constructed nuclear unit in the U.S. in over 30 years.

Georgia Power said the plant had started serving Georgia customers and was capable of powering an estimated 500,000 homes and businesses. The unit is one of four at the Plant Vogtle site. Once all four units are online the site will become the largest generator of clean energy in the country, the company said.

“Today is a historic day for the State of Georgia, Southern Company, and the entire energy sector, as we continue transforming the way we power the lives of millions of Americans,” Chris Womack, said president and CEO of Southern Company, the parent company of Georgia Power. “With Unit 3 completed, and Unit 4 in the final stages of construction and testing, this project shows just how new nuclear can and will play a critical role in achieving a clean energy future for the United States.”

The company said nuclear power is the only zero-emission baseload energy source available today and offers reliability and efficient operations around the clock. Currently, nuclear power provides a quarter of Georgia Power’s overall energy mix, the company said, including existing units at Plant Vogtle, in Waynesboro, Georgia, and Plant Hatch in Baxley, Georgia.

“The Plant Vogtle 3 and 4 nuclear expansion is another incredible example of how Georgia Power is building a reliable and resilient energy future for our state,” Kim Greene, chairman, president and CEO of Georgia Power, said. “It is important that we make these kinds of long-term investments and see them through so we can continue providing clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy to our 2.7 million customers. Today’s achievement is a testament to our commitment to doing just that, and it marks the first day of the next 60 to 80 years that Vogtle Unit 3 will serve our customers with clean, reliable energy.”

Last week, the company announced the receipt of a 103(g) finding from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for Vogtle Unit 4 which confirms the unit has been constructed and will be operated in conformance with Combined License and NRC regulations.

The company said Southern Nuclear, which will operate Vogtle 4 on behalf of Georgia Power, Oglethorpe Power, MEAG Power and Dalton Utilities, received the official letter from NRC. Officials said Southern Nuclear can now move on to loading fuel and beginning the startup sequence for the new unit.

The 103(g) finding means officials have submitted documentation that the unit has satisfied the 364 required inspections, tests, analyses and acceptance criteria outlined in Southern Nuclear’s Combined License, and that the unit meets strict nuclear safety and quality standards. Officials said the process was completed on July 20, and that all of the requirements have been verified.

“The team at the site continues working diligently to make final preparations for Unit 4 fuel load, initiate startup testing and bring the unit online,” the company said in a statement. “Well-trained and highly qualified nuclear technicians will continue work required to support loading fuel, which is already onsite, into the unit’s reactor. This will be followed by several months of startup testing and operations.”

In addition to startup testing, operators will also bring the plant from cold shutdown to initial criticality, synchronize the unit to the grid and systematically raise power to 100 percent, the company said.

Unit 4 is projected to be completed and put into operation in the late fourth quarter of 2023, or first quarter of 2024.