Southern Company May Seek New Plant at Vogtle

Big news just off the wire:

Southern Nuclear Operating Company, on behalf of the co-owners of the Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, has officially informed the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission that it has selected the site to evaluate for possible future nuclear generating units.

In the summer of 2006, the company will file either an application for an Early Site Permit (ESP) at Vogtle or pre-Combined Operating License (COL) information that would ultimately become a part of a complete COL application.

Plant Vogtle is owned by Georgia Power, Oglethorpe Power Corporation, the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia and the City of Dalton. It is operated by Southern Nuclear for the co-owners.

This notification does not mean that the co-owners have decided to build a new unit at the plant site. This is another step in the process necessary to obtain permits should the owners decide that a new nuclear unit is the best option for meeting the need for additional generation.

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