James Jan-Feb 2024 web - Flipbook - Page 20
PK What does the completion of the
new nuclear units at Plant Vogtle
mean for Georgia?
KG Georgia is one of the fastest
growing states in the country, and
the addition of these new units will
provide businesses and industries
with the confidence to stay, expand
or locate in our state, which will
help ensure Georgia’s economy continues growing.
These new units are long-term
investments and will serve Georgians for the next 60 to 80 years.
We are extremely proud to have
brought online the first new nuclear
unit built in the U.S. in more than
30 years. Unit 3 is serving customers right now with clean, reliable
energy. Once Unit 4 comes online
in 2024, Plant Vogtle will not only
be the largest generator of energy
anywhere in the country. It will also
be the largest generator of clean,
emission-free energy.
This has truly been a team effort,
and successful completion of this
project wouldn’t be possible without
our partnership with the thousands
of craft workers at the site, our
teammates at Southern Nuclear, our
construction partners and committed co-owners and the foresight and
commitment of state and local lead-
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JAMES
JANUA RY/F E B RUA RY 2024
ership. We could not have delivered
this new energy source for Georgia
without the support and engagement of the Georgia PSC, elected
members of the Georgia legislature
and Congress, the U.S. Department
of Energy and others.
PK How is Georgia able to pull off
something like the first new nuclear units in more than 30 years, and
what does that say about the future
of nuclear energy in this country?
KG We’re fortunate to have state
leadership and a market structure
that not only support, but also
encourage, long-term planning.
That’s why we’re able to do hard
things and make major investments
that will deliver value for customers in the long term— the Vogtle
expansion is a case in point. Our
commissioners and state and company leadership saw how valuable
nuclear would be to our state’s
energy future, and that’s something
on which we never wavered.
If we’re serious about the transition to clean energy while maintaining reliability for customers, nuclear
must be a part of our nation’s portfolio. I know there are many other
utilities, regulators and legislators
in other states that look at Georgia
today with envy. We have hosted
leaders from all over the country at
the Vogtle site, and we know they
are considering new nuclear energy
to serve their customers. What we
have done in Georgia is open the
country to this possibility of new nuclear technology— whatever it may
look like. We have the blueprint now
and have learned many lessons from
the Vogtle expansion.
Additionally, we have built a new
nuclear workforce, recreated a nuclear supply chain that did not exist 10
years ago, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission knows how to permit
and oversee this sort of project. If
others don’t act to build new nuclear,
this momentum could be lost— and
that would be a shame.
The AP1000 is great technology— safe, reliable, and efficient. Our
customers are going to benefit from
this expansion for decades, but it is
a large-scale development, and that
might not be doable for everyone.
That’s why many utilities are also
looking at “small modular reactors”
(SMR)— which would produce something like 300 MW compared to the
1,100 MW for each Vogtle reactor.
This is cutting edge— companies like
GE and Westinghouse are currently working on SMRs that could be
manufactured and then delivered to