First American Nuclear Reactor Constructed From Scratch in Many years Enters Industrial Operation in Georgia

ATLANTA (AP) — A brand new reactor at a nuclear energy plant in Georgia has entered business operation, turning into the primary new American reactor constructed from scratch in many years.

Georgia Energy Co. introduced Monday that Unit 3 at Plant Vogtle, southeast of Augusta, has accomplished testing and is now sending energy to the grid reliably.

At its full output of 1,100 megawatts of electrical energy, Unit 3 can energy 500,000 houses and companies. Utilities in Georgia, Florida and Alabama are receiving the electrical energy.

A fourth reactor can be nearing completion on the website, the place two earlier reactors have been producing electrical energy for many years. The Nuclear Regulatory Fee on Friday stated radioactive fuel could be loaded into Unit 4, a step anticipated to happen earlier than the tip of September. Unit 4 is scheduled to enter business operation by March.

The third and fourth reactors had been initially speculated to price $14 billion, however are actually on monitor to price their homeowners $31 billion. That doesn’t embody $3.7 billion that unique contractor Westinghouse paid to the homeowners to stroll away from the venture. That brings complete spending to virtually $35 billion.

The third reactor was supposed to begin producing energy in 2016 when building started in 2009.

Vogtle is necessary as a result of authorities officers and a few utilities are again looking to nuclear power to alleviate local weather change by producing electrical energy with out burning pure fuel, coal and oil.

In Georgia, virtually each electrical buyer can pay for Vogtle. Georgia Energy, the most important unit of Atlanta-based Southern Co., at the moment owns 45.7% of the reactors. Smaller shares are owned by Oglethorpe Energy Corp., which offers electrical energy to member-owned cooperatives, the Municipal Electrical Authority of Georgia and the town of Dalton. Oglethorpe and MEAG plan to promote energy to cooperatives and municipal utilities throughout Georgia, as properly in Jacksonville, Florida, and components of Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.

Georgia Energy’s 2.7 million prospects are already paying a part of the financing price and elected public service commissioners have approved a monthly rate increase of $3.78 a month for residential prospects as quickly because the third unit begins producing energy. That might hit payments in August, two months after residential prospects noticed a $16-a-month improve to pay for higher fuel costs.

Commissioners will determine later who pays for the rest of the prices of Vogtle, together with the fourth reactor.

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