America’s first new nuclear reactor in nearly seven years starts operations

Monday marked the archetypal clip a caller atomic reactor has begun delivering powerfulness to the electrical grid successful the United States successful astir 7 years. Nuclear vigor does not make the greenhouse state emissions that origin clime change.

The portion 3 reactor astatine Plant Vogtle adjacent Waynesboro, Georgia, has started commercialized operation, superior proprietor Georgia Power said connected Monday. This follows preliminary tests successful March.

The reactor, an Westinghouse AP1000, is generating astir 1,110 megawatts of energy, which tin powerfulness an estimated 500,000 homes and businesses, Georgia Power said.

The past clip a atomic reactor started delivering vigor to the powerfulness grid was successful October 2016, erstwhile the Tennessee Valley Authority began commercialized cognition of its Watts Bar Unit 2 adjacent Spring City, Tenn., according to Scott Burnell, a spokesperson for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Prior to that, determination hadn't been a caller atomic reactor turned connected since Watts Bar 1 successful May 1996.

The portion 3 powerfulness reactor astatine Vogtle volition present energy to customers for the adjacent 60 to 80 years, Georgia Power CEO Kim Greene said successful a statement.

The atomic manufacture is celebrating the milestone.

"The commercialized cognition of Vogtle Unit 3 marks a important accomplishment for the U.S. atomic vigor manufacture and a milestone successful advancing planetary cleanable and reliable vigor solutions," Maria Korsnick, the CEO of the Nuclear Energy Institute, a atomic manufacture advocacy group, said successful a statement. "We are thrilled to witnesser the palmy deployment of this Westinghouse AP1000 precocious reactor, which is helping to signifier the vigor scenery of the future."

Building 1 of these reactors is simply a monolithic project.

Construction connected Vogtle 3 and 4 began successful June 2009, took overmuch longer than expected to complete, and was overmuch much costly than initially forecast, arsenic elaborate successful a piece published Monday by atomic vigor scholars astatine Columbia University.

Initial outgo estimates for some reactors were $14 billion, and they were expected to powerfulness up successful 2016 and 2017. but the costs person ballooned to $30 cardinal truthful far, and portion 4 is inactive not turned on, atomic vigor experts Matt Bowen, Rama T. Ponangi, and Andrew Evans from Columbia said.

Some of the delays came due to the fact that operation began earlier the plan was completed, among different problems, the Columbia vigor analysts say. New builds of the AP1000 volition not look that struggle.

Regardless, the operation timeline and fund woes astatine Vogtle person been a resistance for the atomic industry, which is actively trying to reinvent itself aft a decades-long slump.

Most of the atomic vigor successful the United States came online successful the 1970s and 1980s. Sentiment astir atomic vigor nosedived successful the United States aft the atomic reactor mishap astatine Three Mile Island successful 1979. "The atomic operation manufacture went into the doldrums for 2 decades," the manufacture commercialized group, the World Nuclear Association says.

But interest successful atomic vigor has been expanding significantly successful caller years arsenic the consciousness of urgency successful responding to clime alteration has pushed request for cleanable energy. Nuclear vigor contributed 47% of America's carbon-free energy successful 2022, according to the DOE, and has contributed astir 20% of the nation's wide vigor since the 1990s.

Unit 4 of the Vogtle Plant is expected to spell into work during the precocious 4th fourth 2023 oregon the archetypal 4th of 2024, Georgia Power said connected Monday. Georgia Power owns 45.7% of the Vogtle Power Plant, the Oglethorpe Power Corporation owns 30%, the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia owns 22.7%. and Dalton Utilities owns 1.6%.