Plant Vogtle near Waynesboro, Georgia, remains the largest generator of clean energy in the United States following the completion of Units 3 and 4 in 2024, the first new nuclear reactors built from scratch in the country in more than three decades. Georgia Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company, operates the four-unit plant, which combined power more than 1 million homes and businesses across the state.
The addition of Units 3 and 4 brought Plant Vogtle's total generating capacity to nearly 5 gigawatts, surpassing Arizona's Palo Verde plant as the largest nuclear facility in the country by capacity. More than 1,700 employees, including engineers, control room operators, chemists and electricians, staff the plant around the clock.
Georgia Power has also continued to evaluate potential sites for additional nuclear generation in the state, according to filings with the Georgia Public Service Commission, though company officials say there is no active plan to build another reactor at this time. Any future nuclear project would require financing arrangements, contractor selection, and state and federal approvals well before construction could begin.
Plant Vogtle's output has become an increasingly important part of Georgia's grid planning as the state recruits large data center projects that require significant amounts of round-the-clock power. Georgia Power's next long-term resource plan is due in early 2028, when the company may revisit the question of additional nuclear capacity for the following decade.
The Vogtle expansion followed a construction process that began in 2009 and took roughly 15 years to complete, reflecting the long lead times associated with large-scale nuclear construction in the United States.
Source: Georgia Power - https://www.georgiapower.com/about/energy/plants/plant-vogtle/units-3-4/vogtle-media.html