Plant Vogtle near Waynesboro, Georgia, stands as the largest nuclear power plant in the United States following the completion of its two newest reactors, and it continues to supply a large share of the state's electricity. With all four units in operation, the plant has a total generating capacity of nearly 5 gigawatts, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Units 3 and 4, the first newly built commercial reactors completed in the United States in decades, entered commercial operation in 2023 and 2024. The two Westinghouse AP1000 units joined the plant's original pair, roughly doubling Vogtle's output. Together the four units are expected to generate more than 30 million megawatt-hours of electricity each year, enough to power a substantial portion of Georgia homes and businesses.
Operated by Georgia Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company, Vogtle provides baseload generation that runs continuously regardless of weather. That steady output has taken on added importance as Georgia's electricity demand climbs, driven in part by rapid data center growth across the Atlanta metro region and broader economic expansion in the Southeast.
The project reached completion years behind its original schedule and well above initial cost estimates, a history that has shaped debate over the economics of large new reactors. For the grid, the finished plant now represents a significant source of firm, always-available capacity in a state facing some of the fastest load growth in the country. Vogtle's performance is closely watched as a reference point for future US nuclear construction.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration - https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=61963