Aaron Larson writes in Power that Vogtle Unit 4 has entered commercial operation.
- Vogtle Units 3 and 4 are expected to generate 17,200,000 megawatt-hours of clean energy and prevent 10 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually.
- The construction of Vogtle 3 and 4 took 17 years to complete and was several billion dollars over budget.
- There are several reasons for this including poor project management, an inexperienced workforce, reactor design changes, and constrained supply chains.
- Modernizing regulations and increasing competition in the industry would deliver more cost-effective nuclear reactors in the future.
“Georgia Power said nuclear energy provided more than 25% of its generation in 2023, which comes not only from Plant Vogtle, but also from Plant Hatch in Baxley, Georgia. The company said Plant Vogtle has provided ‘billions of dollars of positive economic impact for Georgia and local communities.’ In addition to 800 permanent jobs created by the new units, the site employed more than 9,000 onsite jobs at the peak of construction including engineers, welders, electricians, pipefitters, plumbers, and many more.”
Read the full article here.
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