If Plant Vogtle’s Units 3 and 4 ever operate, Georgia Power executives told the state Public Service Commission on May 11 it won’t be by the 2019 and 2020 in-service dates the utility has stood by until only recently. When and if the new nuclear units can be completed—and at what final cost—remains the central question as the utility continues to grapple with how to deal with bankrupt contractor Westinghouse Electric Co.
“The contractor’s performance continues to fall short of both the contractor’s schedule projections and the company’s expectations. Based on the information that the company has subsequently obtained, the company does not believe these in-service dates are achievable,” said David McKinney, vice president of nuclear development with Georgia Power, during the May 11 hearing on the 16th Semi-Annual Vogtle Construction Monitoring report.