Vogtle Nuclear Power Unit 4 Reaches Latest Milestone with Fuel Loading

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The Alvin W. Vogtle Nuclear Power Station Unit 4 near Waynesboro, Georgia, has begun loading fuel, marking a milestone toward startup by the end of this year or in the first quarter of 2024, Georgia Power Company (Atlanta, Georgia) said last week.

The start of the fuel load began after a finding from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) signified that the new unit has been constructed and will be operated in conformance with a combined license and NRC regulations, said Georgia Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE:SO) (Atlanta).

During the fuel loading, nuclear technicians will install 157 fuel assemblies into the Unit 4 reactor core, Georgia Power said.

Following the fuel loading, startup testing and operations for the 1,117-megawatt unit will begin.

In July, Vogtle Unit 3 began commercial operations. The two unit additions are the first new-build nuclear generation in the U.S. in more than three decades. The current estimated price tag for the two new nuclear units is about $32 billion, a figure that does not include a $3.7 billion payment made to the co-owners by Westinghouse Electric Company LLC (Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania), after it declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2017. For more information, see August 2, 2023, article - Years Late and Over Budget, Vogtle Unit 3 Begins Commercial Operations.

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