US Georgia Power, a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Southern Co, said unit 3 of the Vogtle NPP has been reconnected to the grid after being offline for more than a week due to a “valve malfunction”. Plant operators had executed a safe shutdown of the reactor on 8 July due to lowering water levels in the steam generators, according to a spokesperson The problem was traced to a valve malfunction on one of the three main feedwater pumps, located on the turbine side of the plant. Georgia Power investigated the issue and completed necessary repairs. Southern Nuclear notified the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) noting that safety was not compromised.
“We do want customers to know that we maintain a diverse generation mix to help ensure reliable service for customers during very high, and very low, temperatures,” said the spokesperson. “We don’t anticipate any issues meeting demand due to this unit being offline.”
Vogtle 3&4 are both 1,117 MWe Westinghouse AP1000 pressurised water reactors (PWRs). Unit 3 began commercial operation in July 2023 and unit 4 in April 2024. The two units were originally expected to cost about $14bn and to enter service in 2016 and 2017 but suffered a series of delays, including Westinghouse’s bankruptcy in 2017. The total cost of the project to build Vogtle 3&4 is now put at more than $30bn. Georgia Power owns 45.7% of the project; Oglethorpe Power Corp owns 30%; the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia (MEAG) owns 22.7%; and the city of Dalton owns 1.6%. The units are operated by Southern Nuclear.
The Vogtle site also hosts to two operating pressurised water reactors. With all four units in operation, Georgia Power says Plant Vogtle is the largest generator of clean energy in the US, expected to produce more than 30 GWh of electricity each year.
