Vogtle monitors see more delays, extra $1B for nuclear plant
ATLANTA (AP) — Monitors say even the most recent pushback of completion dates for two new nuclear reactors in Georgia isn’t enough to account for all the delays and increased costs they see coming.
Testimony filed Wednesday with the Georgia Public Service Commission by engineer Don Grace and others predict that the third reactor at Plant Vogtle near Augusta won’t meet the most recent range of July 2022 to September 2022 set by Georgia Power Co. Instead, Grace said ongoing delays suggest a range of November 2022 to February 2023.
Grace said the fourth reactor, currently scheduled for completion between April and June of 2023, might not come online until sometime in late 2024.
The Public Service Commission, an elected five-member regulatory body, pays Grace and others to monitor construction. Grace said the problems are “largely attributable” to electrical wiring problems that have already sparked increased scrutiny from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
“This level of schedule performance does little to inspire confidence in the company’s ability to accurately forecast progress on the project,” testified Public Service Commission analyst Steven D. Roetger and nuclear engineer William R. Jacobs. “We have testified in many prior (proceedings) that the schedules provided by the company are not achievable.”
Georgia Power spokesperson Jeffrey Wilson said the company is holding to its current completion estimates and “will continue to respond and provide our perspective” through the Public Service Commission cost monitoring process.
