"Southern Co.'s preliminary figures for its nuclear expansion in Georgia now put the new source of electricity on the grid no earlier than 2022 and push the total price tag for twin reactors to more than $20 billion.

The company has not made a decision whether it will finish its Vogtle power plant expansion, which is already years behind schedule and billions of dollars above its forecasted budget. Southern CEO Tom Fanning made it clear yesterday he would continue to sell the project as a way to have a diverse, low-carbon generation fleet that would keep a U.S. foothold on nuclear technology.

What's more, Southern's Vogtle expansion is the only new pair of nuclear reactors under construction in the United States. Two South Carolina electric companies canceled the only other project Monday after declaring it too expensive to finish."

Kristi E. Swartz reports for EnergyWire August 3, 2017. [2]