Kudos to Southern Co. and Georgia Power

It looks like it’s really going to happen. Finally, a new nuclear power plant is going to be built in the U.S. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) granted a combined construction and operating license (COL) for Plant Vogtle units 3 and 4. Receipt of the license signifies that full construction can begin.I applaud Southern Nuclear and Georgia Power, subsidiaries of Southern Co., operators of Plant Vogtle units 1 and 2 and overseers of units 3 and 4 construction. Their perseverance and ability to look beyond the next five to 10 years when making decisions about future capacity should be commended. I’ve mentioned before that I began my career in the electricity industry working at a nuclear power plant. I believe nuclear power is a safe, reliable and clean way to generate electricity and I’ve sometimes been discouraged because it’s taken 30 years for a utility to step up and be the first to take on the task of building a new plant. I hope this is the first of many more to come. I hope the construction goes smoothly and proves to those who want to follow that the road isn’t too long or bumpy for them.

Southern Nuclear and Georgia Power are stepping up and taking a risk, but they aren’t shouldering the risk alone. The federal government, through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is taking some of the risk through loan guarantees. Based on the project’s projected costs, the DOE’ loan guarantee will be about $3.4 billion. It will be funded by the Federal Financing Bank. Reports I’ve read say the project partners should close on the DOE loan guarantees around the second quarter of 2012.

Of course, not everyone is as thrilled as I am about the new nuclear units. Many believe nuclear power is too dangerous or too expensive or both. Certainly, some risks to public health and safety are involved, but these risks are low. Even Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant accident wasn’t nearly as bad as first feared. Japanese authorities recently concluded no local residents or power plant employees were harmed by radiation. And, even though the incident was scary and unnerving, it is the source of many lessons learned that will ultimately lead to improved performance and safety at nuclear plants, both old and new, around the world.

Certainly, a new nuclear power plant will not be cheap. When you look at the expected life of a new plant and the relatively low cost of its fuel, however, the price tag doesn’t seem so bad, especially when you consider the expenses that many coal-fired generators face because of Environmental Protection Agency regulations. I received a press release that said Vogtle units 3 and 4 are “Solyndra on steroids.” It was, of course, referring to the load guarantees and the fact that Solyndra defaulted on its loans and the DOE will have to pay up. I strongly disagree with this analogy. Nuclear power has been providing reliable, safe, clean and affordable electricity for nearly a half century. It currently provides about 20 percent of the nation’s electricity and has for more than 30 years. It is a mature, proven technology, not a start up generation technology that is still in the research and development stage. In addition, Southern Co. and the other companies involved in the project, are responsible, well-established companies and are not likely to declare bankruptcy. I don’t mean to sound like I’m dissing solar energy, but it’s simply irresponsible for so called experts to compare nuclear energy to solar energy.

Details about the approval of Vogtle’s COL are available in a recent story on this website titled “NRC approves license for Plant Vogtle, first new nuclear units in U.S. since 1978.” I invite you to read it, as well as check back for updates on the two new nuclear units. We plan to follow the progress closely.