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Southern Company takes the job! Units 3 and 4 were approved from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and two brand new nuclear reactors have been planned for 2017 completion. Those reactors are going to be built next to 2 others that already exist from the 70′s at Georgia’s Plant Vogtle.

The approval has been dubbed “the strongest signal yet” that the thirty-year hiatus on nuclear plant construction may finally be coming to an end. Could this be the beginning of a renaissance in nuclear energy production?

Constructor ‘spectrum

Southern Co. will build the reactors at its Vogtle site in Georgia, where two older reactors already operate. Scott Peterson, vice president of the industry’s Nuclear Energy Institute, says it’s not a “nuclear renaissance,” but instead a “first wave” for new reactors.

“It’s obviously a critical event for the industry in terms of moving forward with the next generation of reactor technology,” he says.

Design

The new reactors would be the first of a standardized design: instead of each one being unique, they’ll all be nearly identical.

The new reactor designs are the first to incorporate passive safety features (i.e. features that require little-to-no human intervention, and do not depend on electricity to operate). Many of these features have been implemented in direct response to “lessons learned” from Fukushima, like water that is automatically released to cool the reactor core in the event of a meltdown.

Southern Company’s Presentation on Plant Vogtle 2017

Southern Company currently is exploring various opportunities to build new nuclear-powered electric generating plants to serve our customers’ energy needs for the future. Southern Company’s actions are part of our long-range generation-planning process that seeks to identify the most cost-effective, reliable and environmentally responsible fuel sources to meet growing electricity demand in the areas we serve. Nuclear power is a proven technology that is a viable generating source

Increased demand for energy is driving the need for new baseload capacity. The population of the southeastern United States continues to expand rapidly, and according to the U.S. Department of Energy, 40 percent of the U.S. population will live in the Southeast by 2030. The state of Georgia alone is expected to grow by 4 million people by 2030. During the next 15 years, electrical demand on the Georgia Power system is projected to grow 30 percent. As energy needs grow in the Southeast, Southern Company intends to be on the forefront of exploring nuclear energy as an option for meeting rising electricity demand. The process to build two new reactors at Plant Vogtle is well underway,
with plans to begin commercial operation of Unit 3 in 2016 and Unit 4 in 2017.Nuclear power is a safe, reliable, cost-effective power source that has a low impact on the environment. It is a prudent business decision to use nuclear energy as a means to meet our customers’ needs generating source.

          NO IDEA ON THE NATURAL GAS VS NUCLEAR ENERGY FIGHTS..

    hope someone at the end is Satisfied as much as a Satisfied Frog

Further Knowledge\Sources:

Plant Vogtle, Southern Nuclear(+)

npr News(+)