In August 2009, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued its fourth Early Site Permit for two new units at Southern Nuclear’s Vogtle site and its first for the Westinghouse AP1000 pressurized water reactor design. The two new units planned for Vogtle also became the reference plant for the AP1000 under NuStart in June 2009. This means Vogtle Units 3 and 4 will be the first licensed installations of the new AP1000 reactor design in the U.S. Plant Vogtle is expected to get the NRC’s approval to begin construction in 2011.
The Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generation Plant (Plant Vogtle) is one of Georgia Power’s two nuclear facilities and one of three nuclear facilities in the Southern Company system (Figure 1). Southern Nuclear, a subsidiary of Southern Company since 1990, is the licensed operator of Plant Vogtle, which is located about 25 miles south of Augusta, Ga. The plant is jointly owned by Georgia Power (45.7%), Oglethorpe Power Corp. (30%), Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia (22.7%), and the Dalton Utilities (1.6%). Units 1 and 2 consist of Westinghouse four-loop pressurized water reactors (PWRs) rated at 1,109 and 1,127 MW respectively. Unit 1 began commercial operation in 1987; Unit 2 followed in 1989.
1. Peach of a plant. The Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generation Plant is located on a 3,100-acre site along the Savannah River, 25 miles south of Augusta. Its two units entered commercial service in the late 1980s and together produce over 2,200 MW. Courtesy: NRC
David Jones, site vice president for Plant Vogtle’s planned Units 3 and 4, is responsible for construction and operation of the new units. Jones recently talked with POWER about the need for additional baseload capacity in the southeastern U.S. "Based on the statistical data from the Department of Energy, 40% of the U.S. population will be living in the southeastern U.S., and the state of Georgia alone is expected to grow by 4 million people, by 2030. Over the last 13 years, average residential consumption in Georgia rose approximately 16%. Over the next 15 years, electrical demand on the Georgia Power system is projected to grow 30%. The demand for electricity is going to be there, so we needed to develop a reliable baseload source of energy for our customers." The construction of Units 3 and 4 at Plant Vogtle is one way Southern Co. anticipates meeting the rising demand for electricity (Figure 2).
2. Twins. Southern Nuclear is moving forward with plans to build two new AP1000 Generation III+ nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle. The two new plants are expected to enter commercial service in 2016 and 2017. This artist’s concept drawing illustrates the placement of the two new units in the foreground with the two existing units in the background. Courtesy: Southern Nuclear
Table 1. Timeline for Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4. Source: Southern Nuclear
Jones added that each component of Southern Co.’s energy portfolio — nuclear, fossil, and renewables — is equally important. However, the long-range generation planning process identified nuclear power as the most cost-effective, reliable, and environmentally responsible energy source to meet growing electricity demands in its service territory. This requirement, plus the continued successful operation of Vogtle Units 1 and 2, were the primary reasons why nuclear power was chosen for the Vogtle expansion project. "From a company perspective, only 16% of our electricity is generated by nuclear power, and we wanted to maintain a proper mix of energy generating solutions. All of that culminated in choosing nuclear power," Jones added.
Table 1. Timeline for Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4. Source: Southern Nuclear
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