Georgia Power Co. has announced a delay in the opening of its newly constructed reactor at the Vogtle nuclear power plant in the US. The opening of the power plant has been delayed to July, following the discovery of a degraded hydrogen seal during pre-operational testing of its Plant Vogtle Unit 3, which had been expected to enter service this month.
The Southern Co. announced the delay in an SEC filing on Friday. As a result of this remediation and the remaining pre-operational testing, Georgia Power now expects the Unit 3 in-service date to be in July 2023.
The Vogtle plant will add two new reactors to the existing plant, making it the single largest power source in the US. However, this project has been plagued by delays and cost increases and is now over $16 billion over budget.
This latest delay is yet another setback for the project, adding to the already extended seven-year period in which the project has experienced challenges and complications. The reactor at Vogtle plant was constructed in an effort to supply the increasing energy demands in the US, but it has been unable to meet its scheduled time of operation due to multiple factors, including regulatory delays and cost overruns.
The delays and cost overruns of this project are significant, with not only the direct financial implications but also the impact on the energy industry as a whole. The latest developments have led to questions being raised about whether the Vogtle plant project will ever be completed.