Vogtle Nuclear Power Plant, one step away from becoming the most powerful one in the United States
Unit 3 reactor at the Vogtle Nuclear Power Plant, in the State of Georgia, has started its commercial operation. This is the first new unit to come into operation in the United States since 2016 and the first new construction in more than 30 years.
The Vogtle Nuclear Power Plant has already three units in operation, to which a new one (unit 4) will be added between November 2023 and March 2024, thus becoming the most powerful plant in the United States. They will supply emission-free electricity to 500,000 Georgia homes and businesses for the next 60 to 80 years.
Once the four units are operational, the Vogtle Nuclear Power Plant will be the most powerful in the United States
Vogtle is already home to two operating PWRs. Once all four units are online, it will become the largest generator of clean energy in the USA, Georgia Power said.
Vogtle 3 reached criticality safely for the first time on March 6 during the testing and verification process prior to entering commercial operation that took place on July 31, as announced by Georgia Power, one of the co-owners of the new units. Southern Nuclear will operate them on behalf of co-owners Georgia Power, Oglethorpe Power, MEAG Power and Dalton Utilities.
Vogtle will supply emission-free electricity to 500,000 Georgia homes and businesses for the next 60 to 80 years
Units 3 and 4 of Westinghouse AP-1000 technology belong to Generation III+ of nuclear reactors and are the first of this technology in the United States, something that Westinghouse, a member of Foro Nuclear, has also congratulated in this release.
“We can do new nuclear energy in America, and we must continue to do new nuclear in America”, said Westinghouse President and CEO Patrick Fragman. “The lessons-learned, and the experience gained through these vital units at Vogtle, as well as the competencies and capabilities we built with our supply chain, prepare Westinghouse well for continued new nuclear units to address our climate change and energy security objectives”.
Vogtle 3 is the first reactor with Westinghouse AP-1000 technology to operate in the United States
According to Westinghouse, the AP1000's proven technology, leveraging modular design and construction methods offers the benefits of Nth-of-a-kind status with a global fleet and a mature supply chain, improving the economics and mitigating schedule risks for future customers.
Four AP1000s are already in operation in China, where six further reactors are under construction. The reactor has recently been selected by Poland for its nuclear energy programme and is earmarked for construction at the Kozloduy site in Bulgaria. Ukraine is planning to build up to nine AP1000 units.
The United States is firmly committed to nuclear energy
With Vogtle 3, the United States has 93 operating nuclear reactors that produce more than 18% of the country's electricity. Its commitment to nuclear energy is clear since most of its power plants have been granted a license to operate for 60 and even 80 years.
Long-term operation –continuous operation of a nuclear power plant maintaining its level of safety, beyond the period considered in its design– is an established practice in 18 of the 33 countries that have nuclear energy in their electrical systems. Thus, at the end of August 2022 there were a total of 189 nuclear reactors authorized to operate beyond 40 years. Of these, 85 were located in the United States and 104 in the rest of the world.
