Feds Approve New Nuclear Powerplant Units in Georgia
Construction of the first new U.S. nuclear reactors in more than 30 years will ramp up gradually following the Feb. 9 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission decision to approve a combined construction and operating license for two new units at utility Southern Co.'s Vogtle nuclear plant near Waynesboro, Ga. NRC's 4-1 vote was welcome news for project participants and sector boosters, but it won't launch the nuclear "renaissance" once predicted—at least in the U.S.—for now. Proponents see stronger demand in China, the U.K. and emerging nations.
"This is a huge day, and I mean a huge day, for the nuclear industry in the U.S.," said Jeff Merrifield, power group senior vice president at The Shaw Group Inc., the engineer-procure-construct contractor at Vogtle, along with Westinghouse Electric Co. "It's a signal that things have truly turned the corner."