Georgia Power says Vogtle nuclear reactor delayed another month by turbine problem

FILE - A turbine that generates electricity using steam heated by nuclear fission sits at Georgia Power Co.'s Plant Vogtle nuclear power plant Jan. 20, 2023, in Waynesboro, Ga. Company officials announced Friday, June 16, 2023, that the turbine's hydrogen cooling system had a problem with its seal, pushing back the commercial operation date of Unit 3, one of two new reactors at the site, to July. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File) FILE - A turbine that generates electricity using steam heated by nuclear fission sits at Georgia Power Co.'s Plant Vogtle nuclear power plant Jan. 20, 2023, in Waynesboro, Ga. Company officials announced Friday, June 16, 2023, that the turbine's hydrogen cooling system had a problem with its seal, pushing back the commercial operation date of Unit 3, one of two new reactors at the site, to July. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)

By JEFF AMY / Associated Press June 16, 2023 3 min read

ATLANTA (AP) — Commercial operation of a new reactor at a Georgia nuclear power plant has been delayed for at least another month.

Georgia Power Co. said Friday that Unit 3 at Plant Vogtle, southeast of Augusta, has a problem in the hydrogen system that is used to cool its main electrical generator. The company now estimates the reactor will begin reliably sending electricity to the grid in July, missing the most recent deadline of June.

The generator is not part of the reactor itself. It’s located in a separate building, where steam from the heat created by fission in the nuclear reactor is piped to spin a turbine, generating up to 1,100 megawatts of electricity.

The unit of Atlanta-based Southern Co. said the problem was a degraded seal. The reactor has been shut down while repairs are made.

The reactor has already hit full power output as part of its testing, which Georgia Power said Friday was 95% complete. But the utility said commercial operation could be put off again if other problems develop.