Vogtle Electric Generating Plant
The Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, also known as Plant Vogtle (/ˈvoʊɡəl/), is a four-unit nuclear power plant located in Burke County, near Waynesboro, Georgia, in the southeastern United States.
| Plant Vogtle 1 & 2 | |
|---|---|
Vogtle 1 & 2 containment buildings and cooling towers | |
| Official name | Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Burke County, Georgia |
| Coordinates | 33°8′30″N 81°45′43″W |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | Unit 1–2: August 1, 1976 |
| Commission date | Unit 1: June 1, 1987 Unit 2: May 20, 1989 |
| Construction cost | Units 1–2: $8.87 billion (1989 USD) ($18.3 billion in 2022 dollars) |
| Owner(s) | Georgia Power (45.7%) OPC (30%) MEAG (22.7%) Dalton Utilities (1.6%) |
| Operator(s) | Southern Nuclear |
| Nuclear power station | |
| Reactor type | PWR |
| Reactor supplier | Westinghouse |
| Cooling towers | 2 × Natural Draft (for Units 1–2) |
| Cooling source | Savannah River |
| Thermal capacity | 2 × 3626 MWth |
| Power generation | |
| Units operational | 1 × 1150 MWe 1 × 1152 MWe |
| Make and model | 2 × WH 4-loop (DRYAMB) |
| Units cancelled | 2 × 1113 MW |
| Nameplate capacity | 2302 MWe |
| Capacity factor | 95.09% (2017) 91.25% (lifetime) |
| Annual net output | 19,786 GWh (2021) |
| External links | |
| Website | Plant Vogtle |
| Commons | Related media on Commons |
It is named after a former Alabama Power and Southern Company board chairman, Alvin Vogtle.
Each unit is a Westinghouse pressurized water reactor (PWR), with a General Electric steam turbine and electric generator. Units 1 and 2 were completed in 1987 and 1989, respectively. Each unit has a gross electricity generation capacity of 1,215 MW, for a combined capacity of 2,430 MW. 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 to January 16, 2047 for Unit 1, and September 2, 2049 for Unit 2. During the construction of Vogtle's first two units, capital investment required jumped from an estimated $660 million to $8.87 billion. ($18.3 billion in 2022 dollars)
Two additional units utilizing Westinghouse AP1000 reactors were under construction since 2009, with Unit 3 being completed in July 2023. 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. In 2018 costs were estimated to be about $25 billion. By 2021 they were estimated to be over $28.5 billion. In 2023 costs had increased to $34 billion, with work still to be completed on Vogtle 4.
Unit 3 began commercial operations on July 31, 2023, becoming the first new nuclear reactor in the United States in 7 years.