America’s largest nuclear power plant is finally online

This week, a new reactor unit at Georgia’s Vogtle nuclear power plant entered commercial operation, completing a 15-year expansion that makes the site America’s single largest provider of clean energy.

The new Unit 4 reactor came online less than a year after the similarly built Unit 3. Together, they represent the first US reactors built from scratch in three decades, and can provide enough energy to power a combined 1 million homes.

Their completion marks the end of an arduous journey. When construction of the two nuclear plants began in 2009, the project’s total costs were estimated to be $14 billion, with the plants projected to come online in 2016.

• In reality, Units 3 and 4 ended up with a price tag north of $30 billion, and entered commercial operation 6-7 years behind schedule.

Big picture: Analysts say the struggles associated with Vogtle’s new plants are a major reason why the nuclear industry has turned away from large nuclear projects in recent years, with no such facilities currently under development in the US.

👀 Looking ahead… The Vogtle situation has inspired companies to pursue potentially cheaper alternatives, such as small nuclear reactors – though US firms have yet to develop a system that works at scale.