Citing continued construction challenges and the need for additional testing time, Georgia Power has pushed back by three months its timeline for the Vogtle units 3 and 4 nuclear powerplant expansion, the first new plant construction in years. The company projects Unit 3 will come on line in the third quarter of 2022, followed by Unit 4 in the second quarter of 2023. “As we’ve said from the beginning of this project, we are going to build these units the right way, without compromising safety and quality to achieve a schedule deadline,” Georgia Power Chairman, President and CEO Chris Womack said in a statement. In October, Unit 3 direct construction was 99% complete, bringing the units 3 and 4 expansion to 95% completion. Vogtle 3 and 4 is one of the largest job-producing construction projects in Georgia, with more than 7,000 workers on site and 800-plus permanent jobs after the units begin operating. 

Photo courtesy Dominion Energy

Dominion Energy

In the latest move to develop Virginia into an offshore wind hub, Dominion Energy and turbine maker Siemens Gamesa say they will build the first U.S. facility to produce blades for offshore wind turbines. The $200-million factory in Portsmouth, Va., will support Dominion’s 2.6-GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Commercial Project, which the firm anticipates will be the largest offshore wind farm in the U.S. To enable shipping for turbine components, Dominion is also building in Texas the first offshore wind installation ship that complies with the federal Jones Act.