The first US nuclear reactor built from scratch in decades enters commercial operation in Georgia

By JEFF AMY
Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) — A new reactor at a nuclear power plant in Georgia has entered commercial operation. Georgia Power Co. announced Monday that Unit 3 at Plant Vogtle, southeast of Augusta, has completed testing and is now sending power to the grid reliably. It’s the first new American reactor built from scratch in decades. At its full output, Unit 3 can power 500,000 homes and businesses. Utilities in Georgia, Florida and Alabama are buying the electricity. A fourth reactor is nearing completion at the site, where two earlier reactors have been generating electricity for decades. The third and fourth reactors were supposed to cost $14 billion, but are projected to cost owners $31 billion.