Vogtle Units 3 and 4

Recent Milestones
On behalf of the plant owners, Southern Nuclear filed applications with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for an Early Site Permit (ESP) and a Combined Construction and Operating License (COL) for potential new units at the Vogtle site.

In August 2009, Southern Nuclear received the ESP for Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4. The Vogtle ESP is the first one in the industry to reference a specific technology, Westinghouse AP1000. Additionally, Southern Nuclear's ESP comes with a Limited Work Authorization (LWA). The LWA allows limited safety-related activities to begin at the site prior to the COL being issued.

An ESP allows the NRC to review and pre-approve the site for construction of new units and allows the company to conduct design, construction and other site-specific evaluations before making a decision to build.

The COL provides Southern Company with one license to build and operate a nuclear plant based on an NRC pre-approved design at a specific site should the owners decide to build.

Additionally, the new Vogtle units have received certification from the Georgia Public Service Commission.

Georgia Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company, and co-owner of the proposed units, filed an Application for Certification of Vogtle Units 3 and 4 on August 1, 2008. The filing was approved by the Georgia Public Service Commission on March 17, 2009.