After spending more than $1.5 billion for construction and operating licenses for four new AP1000 nuclear plants in Florida and North Carolina, Duke Energy announced it will end activity on those plants and, at least in Florida, will pursue more solar power.
Despite grim reports about the costs to continue construction, the utilities leading nuclear-plant expansions in Georgia and South Carolina are continuing to negotiate with bankrupt contractor Westinghouse Electric Co. about taking over management of their respective projects.
According to recent testimony, contractors on the Plant Vogtle nuclear project saw their plan to accelerate construction fall far short of its intended effect.
The Tennessee Valley Authority is working to determine what caused the structural supports of a refurbished condenser to fail and how best to repair the damage at the newly commissioned Watts Bar 2 nuclear unit on the Tennessee River.
Georgia Power and SCANA Corp. on April 28 separately announced that each had extended their “interim assessment agreements” with contractor Westinghouse Electric Co. (WEC) to keep construction progressing on two separate nuclear expansion projects, while the contractor proceeds with its bankruptcy plan.