Plant Vogtle in Georgia (Fortune)
Georgia Power declared yesterday that Vogtle Unit 3 has entered commercial operation and is now serving customers and the State of Georgia. Georgia Power is a wholly-owned affiliate of the Southern Company. Unit 3 is the same structure that has been riddled with cost overruns, construction delays, shoddy workmanship, and poor design, not to mention the ongoing racketeering scandal that has been swirling around Atlanta-based Southern Company for several years. All of these issues make Unit 3, near Waynesboro, GA, the likely site of a nuclear disaster that is projected to claim 60,000 lives within a 40-mile radius of Plant Vogtle. Augusta, GA, home to the famed Masters Golf Tournament is 29 miles from Waynesboro.
Southern Company and its Georgia Power affiliate seem to be treating the entry of Unit 3 into commercial service as good news to the public. It might not, however, be good news for long, as Donald Watkins -- a longtime Alabama attorney, businessman, and civil-rights advocate, who has become a leading voice in online journalism about management and production problems surrounding Southern Company -- reports at his website (donaldwatkins.com). Writes Watkins:
The final stages of construction and testing continue at Vogtle Unit 4, a companion to Unit 3. Unit 4 is projected to be placed in service during the late fourth quarter 2023 or the first quarter of 2024. Unit 4 completed hot functional testing in May. The Vogtle site has also received nuclear fuel for Unit 4.
Last week, Georgia Power announced the receipt of the 103(g) finding from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for Vogtle Unit 4. This finding was confirmed in an official letter received by Southern Nuclear Operating Company and signifies that Unit 4 has been constructed and will be operated in conformance with the Combined License and NRC regulations. No further NRC findings are necessary in order for Southern Nuclear to load fuel or begin the startup sequence for Unit 4.
Southern Nuclear will operate Units 3 and 4 on behalf of the co-owners: Georgia Power, Oglethorpe Power, MEAG Power and Dalton Utilities.
Because Units 3 and 4 are riddled with design and engineering flaws, shoddy construction, poor quality controls, and the falsification of testing records, some nuclear experts have predicted that Vogtle Unit 3 will experience a Level 7 nuclear disaster within 90 days after it reaches 100% power in its commercial operations. This prediction was affirmed again yesterday.
A Level 7 nuclear event is on the scale of the worst nuclear disasters at Chernobyl in the old Soviet Union in 1986 and Fukushima in Japan in 2011. Over the course of time, up to 60,000 people within a 40-mile radius of Vogtle will die from radiation poisoning and related illnesses.
Watkins has written in-depth reports about the behind-the-scenes machinations that have gone into bringing Unit 3 online. (See here and here.) He compares the scenario to other industrial disasters that proved to be both deadly and preventable:
Based upon industry reports, Units 3 and 4 have the highest pre-operational testing failure rates among the nation’s 92 nuclear power plants. The testing failures at Units 3 and 4 were non-stop.
The Southern Company, acting through affiliates Georgia Power and Southern Nuclear Operating Company, has successfully hoodwinked, gaslighted, and flat-out lied to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC), repeatedly and relentlessly since construction started on these Units 3 and 4 in 2009.
The Southern Company's nefarious activities, coupled with a healthy dose of influence peddling and strategic “dark money” contributions to federal and state political entities, enabled Georgia Power to bring Unit 3 into commercial service despite its fatal design and engineering flaws.
The Boeing Company performed a similar political feat when federal aviation regulators allowed the company to place its new 737 MAX passenger jets into commercial service despite fatal design and engineering flaws that were known to cause these new airplanes to crash at an unacceptably high rate per 5-year period. As a result, 346 passengers and crew members died shortly after takeoff in two separate crashes of the new 737 MAX jets that were less than five months apart. After the second fatal crash, all 737 MAX airplanes were grounded worldwide for more than two years.
The project development scenario for Vogtle Units 3 and 4 is similar to what occurred at Boeing with the new 737 MAX airplanes, but with much deadlier consequences in the making. At Vogtle Units 3 and 4, no federal, state, or local government agency has safeguarded and protected the public's interest in ensuring compliance with the highest standards of public safety during the 14-year design, construction, and testing phases that preceded the regulatory decision to place Vogtle Unit 3 into commercial service yesterday.
Once again, politics and corporate greed have trumped public safety.
Up to 60,000 people living within a 40-mile radius of Vogtle will die as a result of this breach of the public trust.
Can a rosy picture be painted about Vogtle Unit 3 coming online? Oh yes, Georgia Power's press release on the matter hardly could have been rosier. Watkins drives the point home by devoting several paragraphs of his post to information pulled mostly from the company's announcement:
Vogtle Unit 3 is the first newly-constructed nuclear unit in the U.S. in more than 30 years and is expected to power an estimated 500,000 homes and businesses.
Nuclear energy currently provides approximately 25% of Georgia Power’s overall energy mix, including the existing units at Plant Vogtle and Georgia’s other nuclear facility at Plant Hatch in Baxley, Ga.
The final stages of construction and testing continue at Vogtle Unit 4, a companion to Unit 3. Unit 4 is projected to be placed in service during the late fourth quarter 2023 or the first quarter of 2024. Unit 4 completed hot functional testing in May. The Vogtle site has also received nuclear fuel for Unit 4.
Last week, Georgia Power announced the receipt of the 103(g) finding from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for Vogtle Unit 4. This finding was confirmed in an official letter received by Southern Nuclear Operating Company and signifies that Unit 4 has been constructed and will be operated in conformance with the Combined License and NRC regulations. No further NRC findings are necessary in order for Southern Nuclear to load fuel or begin the startup sequence for the Unit 4.
Cost overruns, accounting fraud, failed testing, falsified records, shoddy workmanship? As you can see, Georgia Power's rosy picture of Units 3 and 4 does not mention those issues. Instead, you get public-relations fluff, such as this:
“The Plant Vogtle 3 & 4 nuclear expansion is another incredible example of how Georgia Power is building a reliable and resilient energy future for our state,” said Kim Greene, chairman, president and CEO of Georgia Power. “It is important that we make these kinds of long-term investments and see them through so we can continue providing clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy to our 2.7 million customers. Today’s achievement is a testament to our commitment to doing just that, and it marks the first day of the next 60 to 80 years that Vogtle Unit 3 will serve our customers with clean, reliable energy.”
Vogtle Unit 3 is the first newly-constructed nuclear unit in the U.S. in over 30 years and can power an estimated 500,000 homes and businesses. Once all four units are online, the Plant Vogtle site will be the largest generator of clean energy in the nation and support continued growth in Georgia as more industries, businesses and families come to the state.
“Today is a historic day for the State of Georgia, Southern Company, and the entire energy sector, as we continue transforming the way we power the lives of millions of Americans,” said Chris Womack, president and CEO of Southern Company. “With Unit 3 completed, and Unit 4 in the final stages of construction and testing, this project shows just how new nuclear can and will play a critical role in achieving a clean-energy future for the United States. Bringing this unit safely into service is a credit to the hard work and dedication of our teams at Southern Company and the thousands of additional workers who have helped build that future at this site, as well as all of the partners who have helped make this day a reality.”
Nuclear energy is the only zero-emission baseload energy source available today, offering high reliability, and efficient operations around the clock. Nuclear energy currently provides approximately 25% of Georgia Power’s overall energy mix, including the existing units at Plant Vogtle and Georgia’s other nuclear facility at Plant Hatch in Baxley, Ga.
“The Vogtle expansion is an American energy success story and would not be possible without the support of strong public and private partners like our partners at the North America’s Building Trades Unions,” said Tom Fanning, chairman of the Board of Directors for Southern Company. “We continue to appreciate their support and those who have stood with us at the local, state and federal levels to complete this new clean energy source to serve electric customers. Providing leadership in our industry and a commitment to safety and quality are in Southern Company’s DNA. Today’s milestone at the Vogtle expansion site underscores this legacy, and I couldn’t be prouder of the dedication our teams have shown in seeing Unit 3 through to completion.”
Are Kim Greene, Chris Womack, Tom Fanning, or anyone else at Southern Company likely to disclose the full story behind Unit 3? How long will the rosy picture last at Plant Vogtle? How many lives are being put at risk?
These questions should be front and center for the public.
