Georgia’s clean energy beats fossil fuels with new nuclear boost

For the first time, clean energy generation surpassed fossil fuel electricity production in Georgia this year as the US state added the nation’s newest nuclear power plants after years of delays and at more than double the cost.

Unit 3 and Unit 4 at Plant Vogtle near Waynesboro, Georgia, began commercial operations in the past year, making Vogtle the largest nuclear power plant in the US with nearly 5 gigawatts (GW) of total generating capacity, surpassing the Palo Green of 4,210 MW. in Arizona.

The significance of the new units at Plant Vogtle is that they have helped the state of Georgia generate more electricity from zero-carbon sources than from fossil fuels, for the first time in history. The share of clean energy in Georgia’s mix rose to a record 47 percent between January and May, according to the latest data from clean energy think tank Ember, cited by Reuters columnist Gavin Maguire.

The growth of zero-carbon nuclear power has also helped reduce the carbon intensity of Southern Company Services’ power system power generation, which encompasses most of Georgia, Alabama and parts of Mississippi.

The US and the rest of the world realized that achieving clean electricity goals would require nuclear power.

“Although a number of nuclear reactors have retired in recent years, interest in nuclear power as an energy resource to help reduce the carbon footprint of the U.S. electricity sector has increased recently,” the EIA noted earlier this year.

While interest in nuclear power has grown in the US, the Georgia plants, which began commercial operations for the first time in nearly a decade, could be the last of their kind in America.

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The huge cost overruns, for which Georgia taxpayers were on the hook, and the years of delays in commissioning Vogtle’s last two units are not unique to the nuclear power industry, where plants often take billions of dollars and years longer. to complete and start.

Originally expected to cost $14 billion and begin commercial operations in 2016 (Vogtle 3) and 2017 (Vogtle 4), the Georgia project has experienced significant construction delays and cost overruns. Georgia Power now estimates the total cost of the project at more than $30 billion, according to EIA estimates.

Vogtle Units 3 and 4 took 15 years to build and cost $36.8 billion, more than twice the estimated duration and cost, six Georgia consumer and environmental groups said in a report, “Plant Vogtle: The True Cost of Nuclear Power in the United States.” , in May of this year.

“Vogtle is a cautionary tale for the rest of the country. Here in Georgia, we are stuck with the most expensive power ever produced, nothing to be proud of,” said Brionté McCorkle, executive director of Georgia Conservation Voters, which co-released the report.

Vogtle could be the last nuclear power plant of its kind to enter operation in the United States, as nuclear power efforts are now focused on advanced reactors and small reactor technologies that have the support of the US administration through bills and incentives.

US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said at the launch of Vogtle Unit 4 in May: “To achieve our goal of net zero by 2050, we must at least triple our current nuclear capacity in this country. That means we need to add another 200 gigawatts by 2050.”

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has a production tax credit to help preserve the existing fleet of nuclear power plants and more tax incentives for clean energy technologies, including advanced reactors. The IRA is also investing $700 million to support the development of a domestic supply chain for low-enriched uranium, commonly referred to as HALEU, which is urgently needed to support the installation of advanced reactors.

In July of this year, President Joe Biden also signed the ADVANCE Act to focus on small reactor technologies. Thus, the Administration hopes to accelerate the pace of innovation and “put shovels in the ground sooner to start building more domestic reactors.”

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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