Timeline: How Georgia and South Carolina nuclear reactors ran so far off course

By JEFF AMY
Associated Press

WAYNESBORO, Ga. (AP) — The first of two nuclear reactors in Georgia is generating electricity and could be days away from achieving full-power operation. But the new units at Georgia Power Co.’s Plant Vogtle are $17 billion over budget and running seven years late. Customers of multiple Georgia utilities are already paying billions. Regulators haven’t yet decided how much Georgia Power ratepayers will owe. Meanwhile, two similar reactors planned for different owners in South Carolina were abandoned partway through construction. There, federal prosecutors have pursued criminal charges, saying executives illegally concealed delays and cost overruns. The projects were supposed to mark a rebirth for the U.S. nuclear industry, but construction proved difficult despite consistent federal support.