- Georgia Power Vogtle 3 Enters Revenue Service
- Senate Passes Nuclear Legislation to Position US as an ‘International Leader’
- Senate Approves Nuclear Fuel Amendment
- NEI Launches New Nuclear Energy PR Campaign
- Fusion Energy Trade Group Says Congress Must Rectify Missed Opportunity On Fusion Funding
Georgia Power Vogtle 3 Enters Revenue Service
(NucNet contributed to this report) Georgia Power declared this week that Plant Vogtle Unit 3 has entered commercial operation and is now serving customers. The new unit represents a long-term investment in the region’s clean energy future and will provide reliable, emissions-free energy to customers for decades to come. (video) The 1,117-MW Westinghouse AP1000 Generation III+ pressurized water reactor (PWR) unit has completed all testing and regulatory reviews.
The new Vogtle units are an essential part of Georgia Power’s commitment to delivering clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy to its 2.7 million customers. Southern Nuclear will operate the new units on behalf of the co-owners: Georgia Power, Oglethorpe Power, MEAG Power and Dalton Utilities. These utilities serve Georgia, Florida and Alabama which are receiving the electricity from the reactor.
Vogtle Unit 3 is the first newly-constructed nuclear unit in the U.S. in over 30 years and can power an estimated 500,000 homes and businesses. Once all four units are online, the Plant Vogtle site will be the largest generator of clean energy in the nation.Unit 4 to Follow Soon
The final stages of construction and testing continue at Vogtle Unit 4, with the unit projected to be placed in service during the late fourth quarter 2023 or the first quarter of 2024.
The unit completed hot functional testing in May, in significantly less time than Unit 3 as the team continues leveraging best practices and learnings from the earlier unit. The Vogtle site has also received nuclear fuel for Unit 4, with a total of 157 fuel assemblies necessary for the safe and reliable startup of the unit.
Also, last week, Georgia Power announced the receipt of the 103(g) finding from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for Vogtle Unit 4. This finding was confirmed in an official letter received by Southern Nuclear and signifies that the new unit has been constructed and will be operated in conformance with the Combined License and NRC regulations. No further NRC findings are necessary in order for Southern Nuclear to load fuel or begin the startup sequence for the new unit.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) said last week that fuel could be loaded into Unit 4, a step expected to take place before the end of September. Unit 4 is scheduled to enter commercial operation by March 2024.
Construction of Vogtle-3 began in March 2013 and of Vogtle-4 in November 2013. They are the first units of their kind being built in the US.
History of Units 3 & 4
The in-service date for Vogtle-3 when the project was approved in 2012 was 2016, but the project has seen a number of delays and cost overruns.
The $14 billion (€12.6B) original cost of Vogtle 3 and 4 has risen on a combined basis to more than $30 billion. The cost for Georgia Power, with a 45% share of the project, will be about $15 billion.
How the company’s costs are shared with its customers will be decided by the utilities’ regulator, the Georgia Public Service Commission, once Unit 4 is operating: the law allows only costs deemed “prudent” to be passed on to ratepayers.
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Senate Passes Nuclear Legislation to Position US as an ‘International Leader’
The US Senate has passed legislation that proponents say will help position the country as the “undisputed international leader” for nuclear energy technologies.
The 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) included an amendment that “shows bipartisan support for continuing investment in nuclear energy”.
The amendment, the Advance (Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy) Act, will strengthen the existing nuclear fleet and bring more clean, reliable, baseload energy online, said Idaho Republican senator Jim Risch, one of the Act’s sponsors. (Fact Sheet)
West Virginia Republican senator Shelley Moore Capito said the Act makes the nuclear licensing process more affordable, predictable, and efficient.
She said it creates pathways to repurpose former industrial sites for nuclear reactors in the future and provides the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) the resources needed to help fulfil its mission.
The Act allows the NRC to help develop regulations for advanced nuclear reactors and establishes an initiative for the US to speak to nations that are seeking to develop advanced nuclear energy programs.
On new nuclear technologies, the Act reduces regulatory costs for companies seeking to license advanced nuclear reactor technologies. It creates a prize to incentivize the successful deployment of next-generation nuclear reactor technologies and requires the NRC to consider the licensing of nuclear facilities at brownfield sites.
The Act includes provisions related to the US’s existing nuclear fleet, including modernizing outdated rules that restrict international investment and extending a long-established, indemnification policy known as the Price-Anderson Act needed to enable the continued operation of today’s reactors and give certainty for capital investments in building new reactors.
It also directs the NRC to improve the US’s readiness to qualify and license advanced nuclear fuels, and identifies modern manufacturing techniques to build nuclear reactors better, faster, cheaper and smarter.
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Senate Approves Nuclear Fuel Amendment
The Senate voted to approve a second nuclear-related amendment to the NDAA that would strengthen domestic nuclear fuel production and ensure that disruptions in uranium supply will not impact the development of advance reactors or the operation of the US’s existing power reactor fleet.
Amendment #999 directs the Department of Energy to prioritize activities to increase domestic production of low-enriched uranium for existing reactors and accelerate efforts to ensure the availability of high-assay, low-enriched uranium (HALEU) for advanced reactors.
Chart: Centrus Inc., File
Wyoming Republican senator John Barrasso, who introduced the amendment, said Russia has driven America’s nuclear fuel suppliers out of business.
He said: “Russia now supplies 24% of our enriched uranium imports. Russia is our third-largest supplier.
“We spend nearly $1 billion each year on Russian uranium. Russia uses these revenues to fund its invasion of Ukraine.”
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NEI Launches New Nuclear Energy PR Campaign
- The Nuclear Energy Institute’s New “Generation” Ad Campaign Promotes Nuclear Energy for a Carbon-Free Future
With nationwide reach, the campaign provides a clear picture of the important role nuclear energy will play in a clean energy future through innovation in nuclear technology. The creative is a shift as the industry prepares to deploy new nuclear designs to meet climate and energy security goals.
The “Generation” campaign emphasizes the longstanding value of nuclear energy in reliably providing clean power 24/7/365 throughout the decades. As demand for clean energy grows, the potential for new nuclear energy is rising, with reports from McKinsey and the Department of Energy predicting capacity to triple by 2050.
In response, policymakers are increasingly facilitating the emergence of next-generation nuclear plants and embracing new technologies that will make nuclear energy more affordable and easier to implement, paving the way for a clean energy future.
Maria Korsnick, president and chief executive officer of NEI, said;”We are thrilled to launch the ‘Generation’ campaign, a bold step in showcasing nuclear energy as the solution for a brighter and cleaner future. As demand for carbon-free energy continues to rise, the nuclear energy industry stands ready to lead us toward a sustainable and prosperous tomorrow. “
“This campaign reminds America of nuclear’s role over the decades to keep the lights on in our homes, schools, and businesses rain or shine, day or night. Choosing nuclear energy as the foundation of our clean energy future means a better world for generations to come.”
NEI’s “Generation” advertising campaign, featured on CNN, in The New York Times, and on social and streaming platforms, invites viewers to consider a future built for the next generation and highlights nuclear energy as an essential component. The advertisement can also be found on NEI’s website and YouTube (video), as well as its social media under the hashtag #Generation.
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Fusion Energy Trade Group Says Congress Must Rectify Missed Opportunity On Fusion Funding
(NucNet) The Fusion Industry Association (FIA), a trade group, issued a statement this week that funding provided by US Congress for the development of a new generation of nuclear fusion reactors is insufficient to meet the need, but there is still time to rectify this “missed opportunity” and bring the budget up to a level that will support commercialization. Congress is currently on recess for the month of August and won’t return to address pending appropriation bills until after Labor Day.
The FIA warned that if Congress does not supply resources at a scale that is commensurate to the challenge, while countries like Germany, Japan, or the UK step forward, the American lead on innovative fusion could evaporate.
“Likewise, China’s investments into fusion are accelerating, in both public and private investment,” the FIA said. “A Chinese-led fusion industry would be very different challenge, given the current era of global strategic competition.”
Chart: Fusion Energy Association, 2023 Annual Report
Congressional appropriations committees in both the House and Senate, which write the bills that will fund the government, both passed their proposed funding bills for fusion energy research in the Energy and Water Appropriations bills, cutting the fusion budget significantly from president Joe Biden’s request for 2024 of $1.01 billion.
In the proposed Senate package, the Fusion Energy Sciences program would get $792 million for 2024, about $29 million more than this year’s $763 million, but $218 million below the president’s request. In the House package, program would get less, $778 million in funding or $14 million less than the Senate figure.
The new programs proposed were in two areas.
- First, the budget would create four new fusion research and development centers.
- Second, it would support an expansion of the administration’s public-private partnership, which will result in the design of fusion pilot plants based on multiple technologies.
“Because a divided Congress makes for a tight budget environment, it is not a surprise to see reduced funding,” the FIA said. “Unfortunately, the cuts in both of these bills are focused on the commercialization efforts.
“As it stands, Congress is missing the opportunity. The FIA has identified that there is now over $6 billion of private funding into commercial fusion enterprises around the world, and over 80% of that funding has gone to US companies.
Info-graphic: Fusion Energy Association, 2023 Annual Report
“For the US to capitalize on the opportunity this presents, it must bring resources to match the scale of the opportunity.”
The FIA noted that Congress mandated the development of a competitive fusion power industry in the US in 2020, but “has yet to appropriate enough resources to support the transition.”
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