Georgia Power has announced plans to proceed with the construction of the Vogtle nuclear expansion project near Augusta, Georgia.
The company has filed a recommendation with the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) for the construction of nuclear plant.
Georgia Power said that the recommendation us supported by the project’s co-owners, Oglethorpe Power, MEAG Power and Dalton Utilities.
Oglethorpe Power, which owns a 30 stake in Vogtle units 3 and 4, said that it supports Georgia Power to proceed towards completion of the project.
Oglethorpe Power president and CEO Mike Smith said: "We believe we must take a long term view and recognize the benefits of fuel diversity and the price stability of emission-free nuclear power over the next 60 to 80 years.”
The Georgia PSC is now expected to review the recommendation and make a final decision on the construction of the Vogtle 3 & 4 project.
In June, Georgia Power and Southern Nuclear agreed to take over the project management of the Vogtle nuclear expansion in the US State of Georgia from the original contractor Westinghouse.
As part of the expansion project, Georgia Power and Southern Nuclear will construct Units 3 and 4 of the Vogtle Plant with each of them planned to have a capacity of 1.25GW.
While Vogtle Unit 3 is expected to reach commercial operation in November 2021, Unit 4 will start its operations in November 2022.
Georgia Power said: "The two new units at Plant Vogtle will be in service for 60 to 80 years and will add another low-cost, carbon-free energy source to our already diverse fuel mix."
Till June 2017, Georgia Power, which owns 45.7% stake in the new units, has invested nearly $4.3bn in capital costs in the project.
The total cost of the project is estimated to reach approximately $8.8bn, as additional $4.5bn is needed to complete it.
The new Vogtle units, which will use Westinghouse AP1000 technology, are expected to create nearly 800 operational jobs after the completion of the construction.
Image: Alvin Ward Vogtle Nuclear Power Plant Units 1 and 2 in Burke County, Georgia. Photo: courtesy of NRC/Wikipedia.org.