But both units are still expected to meet their in-service dates of November 2021 and 2022…
A report from Nucnet explains:
Georgia Power is likely to adjust the dates for the start of hot functional testing and fuel load for the Vogtle-3 nuclear power plant under construction in the US, but still expects to achieve the November 2021 and 2022 regulatory-approved in-service dates for Units 3 and 4 respectively.
Since October 2020, the Vogtle site in the state of Georgia has seen a significant increase in Covid-19 cases, Georgia Power said. This increase, combined with “other productivity challenges”, continues to impact construction production and the pace of testing activity completion, it added.
Last year Georgia Power said it expected to begin hot functional testing in January 2021 and fuel loading in April 2021.
The two Vogtle AP1000 plants are the only two commercial reactor units under construction in the US.
The project is about 94% complete for Unit 3 with the total Vogtle-3 and -4 project approximately 88% complete.
As of March 2019, the U.S. Energy Department estimated that the Vogtle project would support up to 9,000 jobs at the peak of construction and 800 permanent jobs upon completion.
Combined, both units will add about 2,200 megawatts of power to the grid and generate an estimated 17,200,000 megawatt-hours of electricity each year.