Plant Vogtle, a nuclear power plant in Waynesboro, Georgia, is the largest source of clean energy in the U.S. following the addition of two new reactors, according to Georgia Power.
The plant’s unit 4 reactor began commercial operations in April and unit 3 went online last year. They are the first reactors built from scratch and connected to the grid in over three decades and together can power over a million homes and businesses, according to the utility provider.
But bringing a nuclear power plant to life is difficult and costly.
The two new reactors were initially budgeted at $14 billion, but that price tag more than doubled. The project also ran seven years behind schedule.
“We had some challenges, it was an arduous journey, things that we didn’t anticipate,” said Chris Womack, CEO of Southern Co., the utility’s parent. “From the tsunami in Fukushima to the contractor going bankrupt to Covid, there were a number of things that occurred.”
The plant is helping meet growing electricity demand. About 4.18 trillion kilowatt hours of electricity was generated in the U.S. last year, about 2.2% higher than in 2022. Demand from data centers and artificial intelligence is also fueling renewed interest in nuclear energy.
The U.S. has 54 operating nuclear power plants and 94 reactors, making it the world’s largest producer of nuclear power — accounting for 30% of global nuclear electricity, according to the World Nuclear Association. But reactors in the U.S. are 42 years old on average and replacing them is a complex task.
So why is it so hard to build nuclear reactors in the U.S. and should the new Vogtle reactors be a blueprint or a cautionary tale for the future?