A nuclear reactor at Plant Vogtle that operators shut down last week is back in service and sending power to the electric grid, Georgia Power officials reported Wednesday. Unit 3 at the nuclear plant south of Augusta, which went into full commercial operation last summer, was taken offline July 8 because of a problem with a valve on one of its three main pumps.
Despite the shutdown, Unit 3 has operated at full power more than 96% of the time since it went into service last July 31. By comparison, the average capacity factor for the U.S. nuclear fleet was 93% last year. Unit 3 and its companion – Unit 4, which went into full commercial operation in April – are the first new nuclear reactors built in the United States since the late 1980s.
