A slew of skilled electricians exiting the project, the continuing need for reworking bad welds and the owner’s reported loss of confidence in the construction team are among the issues monitors say are hampering Georgia Power’s Vogtle nuclear expansion as it heads toward its first in-service deadline in November.
Altogether, the challenges could cause Vogtle Units 3 and 4 to miss their respective regulatory-approved completion targets by roughly “7 to 9 months or more,” according to Donald Grace, vice president at Vogtle Monitoring Group (VMG), an outside monitor.