Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

Plant Vogtle
Vogtle 1 & 2 containment buildings and cooling towers
Map
Official nameAlvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant
CountryUnited States
LocationBurke County, Georgia
Coordinates33°8′36″N 81°45′38″W / 33.14333°N 81.76056°W / 33.14333; -81.76056
StatusOperational
Construction beganUnits 1–2: August 1, 1976
Unit 3: March 12, 2013
Unit 4: November 19, 2013
Commission dateUnit 1: June 1, 1987
Unit 2: May 20, 1989
Unit 3: July 31, 2023
Unit 4: April 29, 2024
Construction costUnits 1–2: $8.87 billion (1989 USD)[1]
($19 billion in 2023 dollars[2])
Units 3–4: $36.8 Billion[3]
OwnersGeorgia Power (45.7%)
OPCTooltip Oglethorpe Power Corporation (30%)
MEAG (22.7%)
Dalton Utilities (1.6%)
OperatorSouthern Nuclear
Nuclear power station
Reactor typePWR
Reactor supplierWestinghouse
Cooling towers4 × Natural Draft
Cooling sourceSavannah River
Thermal capacityUnits 1–2: 2 × 3626 MWth
Unit 3: 1 × 3400 MWth
Power generation
Units operational1 × 1150 MWe
1 × 1152 MWe
2 × 1117 MWe
Make and modelUnit 1–2: 2 × WH 4-loop (DRYAMB)
Units 3–4: 2 × WH AP1000
Units cancelled2 × 1113 MW
Nameplate capacity4536 MWe
Capacity factor95.09% (2017)
91.25% (lifetime)
Annual net output19,786 GWh (2021)
External links
WebsitePlant Vogtle
CommonsRelated media on Commons
[edit on Wikidata]

The Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, also known as Plant Vogtle (/ˈvoʊɡəl/ VOH-gəl),[4] is a four-unit nuclear power plant located in Burke County, near Waynesboro, Georgia, in the southeastern United States. With a power capacity of 4,536 megawatts, it is the largest nuclear power plant (as of 2013), the largest source of low-carbon electricity,[5] and largest power station overall in the United States. It is also the only nuclear plant in the country with four units. It is named after a former Alabama Power and Southern Company board chairman, Alvin Vogtle.

The first two units are Westinghouse pressurized water reactors (PWR), with a General Electric steam turbine and electric generator. Units 1 and 2 were completed in 1987 and 1989, respectively, and have a gross electricity generation capacity of 1,215 MW, for a combined capacity of 2,430 MW.[6] The twin natural-draft cooling towers are 548 ft (167 m) tall and provide cooling to the plant's main condensers. Four smaller mechanical draft cooling towers provide nuclear service cooling water (NSCW) to safety and auxiliary non-safety components, as well as remove the decay heat from the reactor when the plant is offline. One natural-draft tower and two NSCW towers serve each unit. In 2009, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) renewed the licenses for both units for an additional 20 years[7] to January 16, 2047 for Unit 1,[8] and September 2, 2049 for Unit 2.[9][10] During the construction of Vogtle's first two units, capital investment required jumped from an estimated $660 million to $8.87 billion.[1] ($19 billion in 2023 dollars[2])

Two additional units utilizing Westinghouse AP1000 reactors began preliminary construction in 2009, with Unit 3 being completed in July 2023.[11][12] Natural-draft type cooling towers were also selected, and the two new cooling towers are nearly 600 ft (180 m) tall. During construction, the units suffered several delays and cost overruns. The certified construction and capital costs for these two new units were originally $14 billion, according to the Seventeenth Semi-annual Vogtle Construction Monitoring Report in 2017.[13] This last report blames the latest increase in costs on the contractor not completing work as scheduled. Another complicating factor in the construction process is the bankruptcy of Westinghouse in 2017.[14] In 2018, costs were estimated to be about $25 billion.[15] By 2021, they were estimated to be over $28.5 billion.[16] In 2023, costs had increased to $34 billion, with work still to be completed on Vogtle 4.[3]

Unit 3 began commercial operations on July 31, 2023, becoming the first new nuclear reactor in the United States in 7 years.[11] Unit 4 entered commercial operation on April 29, 2024.[17]

  1. ^ a b Moens, John (March 18, 2005). "U.S. Nuclear Plants - Vogtle". Energy Information Administration, U.S. Department of Energy. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved March 2, 2007.
  2. ^ a b Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved November 30, 2023. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
  3. ^ a b "REPORT: NEW NUCLEAR REACTORS TO COST GEORGIA RATEPAYERS EXTRA $420 ANNUALLY, ON AVERAGE". May 29, 2024.
  4. ^ Inside the Nuclear Energy Renaissance: Plant Vogtle. Southern Company. January 7, 2014. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved May 26, 2017 – via YouTube.
  5. ^ Granholm, Jennifer (May 31, 2024). "Remarks as Delivered by Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm on Startup of Vogtle Unit 4 and Growth of U.S. Nuclear Industry". Department of Energy. Archived from the original on June 4, 2024. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  6. ^ "Plant Vogtle - Southern Company". Southern Company. Archived from the original on February 5, 2007. Retrieved March 2, 2007.
  7. ^ Pavey, Rob (June 4, 2009). "Licenses for Vogtle current reactors renewed". Augusta Chronicle. Retrieved June 5, 2009.
  8. ^ "Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, Unit 1". NRC. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. February 10, 2017. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  9. ^ "Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, Unit 1". NRC. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. February 10, 2017. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  10. ^ Gertner, Jon (July 16, 2006). "Atomic Balm?". The New York Times.
  11. ^ a b Clifford, Catherine (July 31, 2023). "America's first new nuclear reactor in nearly seven years starts operations". CNBC. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  12. ^ Pavey, Rob (November 22, 2009). "Vogtle lays groundwork for first U.S. reactors in decades". Augusta Chronicle. Retrieved October 22, 2009.
  13. ^ "Seventeenth Semi-Annual Construction Monitoring Report for Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4". Georgia Power. August 2017.
  14. ^ Yamazaki, Makiko; Kelly, Tim (March 29, 2017). "Toshiba's Westinghouse files for bankruptcy as charges jump". reuters.com. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference power-eng-20180809 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ "'Outrageous' price tag: Plant Vogtle cost doubles to $28.5 billion as other owners balk". The Augusta Chronicle. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).