US electricity utility Georgia Power has announced a further delay and a significant cost increase in its Vogtle nuclear power plant (NPP) expansion project. Vogtle (full name: Alvin W Vogtle Electric Generating site) is located at the town of Waynesboro, in the US State of Georgia. It has two operating nuclear reactors, known as Vogtle 1 and Vogtle 2. Georgia Power, part of the Southern Company group, is the biggest shareholder in the Vogtle expansion project. Georgia Power’s share is 45.7%, with two other power companies together having 52.7% and the Dalton City holding 1.6%. Two new AP1000 nuclear reactors are currently being built at Vogtle, unsurprisingly designated Vogtle 3 and Vogtle 4. These are the first Generation III+ reactors to be built in the US. Unlike other Generation III+ reactors, the AP1000, designed and developed by US company Westinghouse Nuclear, is partially modular in construction, with major modules constructed off-site and then assembled on-site.
