Once online, Georgia Power says Vogtle’s two new units will generate enough electricity to power 500,000 homes and businesses. And as the effects of climate change worsen, the facility’s electricity will come without contributing to greenhouse gas emissions.
But the project has been dogged by costly delays for years.
Unit 3 and its twin, Unit 4, are more than six years behind schedule, and their combined cost has risen to over $35 billion, more than double what was originally expected.
On its earnings call last month, Georgia Power’s parent company, Southern Company, announced new delays in the completion of Unit 4. After previously expecting a late 2023 commissioning date, the company said Unit 4 is unlikely to provide electricity until first quarter of 2024.
In a progress report recently filed with state regulators, Georgia Power also estimated that it will cost $200 million more than previously estimated to complete both units, bringing the company’s share of the total project cost to $10.2 billion, up from its previous estimate of $10 billion.
Editor’s note: This is a developing story and will be updated.
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