New Nuclear Reactors Come Online in US

Two new nuclear reactors in Georgia at Plant Vogtle are the first new reactors built in the United States in 30 years. Each of them will power 500,000 homes and businesses with clean nuclear energy.

The reactors will be a cornerstone of Georgia Power Co’s goal of zeroing out its carbon emissions by 2050. It’s important to note that the zero carbon goal is that of the utility, not the State of Georgia, which has no stated renewable energy goals.

The State also saw its legislature eliminate the State’s Consumer Utility Counsel (CUC) in 2008, the year before construction of the nuclear reactors began. The CUC in any State is supposed to serve as an independent advocate for ratepayers when decisions about utility projects and the like are being made. In the absence of the agency, ratepayers essentially are ultimately on the hook for substantial cost overruns on the Vogtle Plant via rate hikes across the State of Georgia. Because of the lack of stated renewable energy goals, and the elimination of the CUC, the Public Service Commission was unable to analyze potential costs of the nuclear plants versus other alternative energy, and the cost overruns on the project are staggering - $18 billion in overruns on a projected $14 billion dollar project.

Ratepayers across the State will pay a portion of the cost via rate increases, while the utility picks up the remainder.

The Vogtle reactors, while exciting, are a cautionary tale. The United States will need to utilize nuclear power to hit carbon free electricity goals. The time spent and cost of the project gave inspectors pause, but ultimately only ended up halting two out of the 24 planned new reactors in the country.

If you would like more in depth info on the Vogtle Plant and its associated costs, you can read about it in Oil & Energy Magazine here: Two New US Nuclear Reactors Operational