ATLANTA – The first of two new nuclear reactors being built at Georgia Power’s Plant Vogtle has reached a key step toward going into service this spring, the Atlanta-based utility announced Monday.
Vogtle’s Unit 3 has safety reached initial criticality, meaning the reactor has been started, atoms are being split, and heat is being generated.
“Reaching initial criticality is one of the final steps in the startup process and has required tremendous diligence and attention to detail from our teams,” said Chris Womack, chairman, president and CEO of Georgia Power. “We remain focused on safely bringing this unit online, fully addressing any issues and getting it right at every level.”
Now that the Unit 3 reactor has reached criticality, operators will continue to raise power to support synchronizing the generator to the electric grid and begin producing electricity. Then, they will continue increasing power through multiple steps, ultimately raising power to 100%.
The work points to an in-service date of May or June, with completion of the second new reactor at the plant south of Augusta – Unit 4 – due a year later.
Commercial operation of the Plant Vogtle expansion has been a long time coming. The Georgia Public Service Commission approved the project 14 years ago at an estimated cost of about $14 billion to be divided between Georgia Power and three utility partners.
But the work has hit a series of delays that have put the project seven years behind and driven up the…
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