A new nuclear reactor in the U.S. starts up. It’s the first in nearly seven years

For the primary time in nearly seven years, a brand new nuclear reactor has began up within the United States.

On Monday, Georgia Power introduced that the Vogtle nuclear reactor Unit 3 has began a nuclear response contained in the reactor.

Technically, that is known as “initial criticality.” It’s when the nuclear fission course of begins splitting atoms and producing warmth, Georgia Power mentioned in a written announcement.

The warmth generated within the nuclear reactor causes water to boil. The ensuing steam spins a turbine that is related to a generator that creates electrical energy.

Vogtle’s Unit 3 reactor can be totally in service in May or June, Georgia Power mentioned.

The final time a nuclear reactor reached the identical milestone was nearly seven years in the past in May 2016 when the Tennessee Valley Authority began splitting atoms on the Watts Bar Unit 2 reactor in Tennessee, Scott Burnell, a spokesperson for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, informed CNBC.

“This is a truly exciting time as we prepare to bring online a new nuclear unit that will serve our state with clean and emission-free energy for the next 60 to 80 years,” Chris Womack, CEO of Georgia Power, mentioned in a written assertion. 

Including the newly turned-on Vogtle Unit 3 reactor, there are at present 93 nuclear reactors working within the United States and, collectively, they generate 20% of the electrical energy within the nation.

Nuclear reactors, which assist fight world warming, generate about half of the clear, carbon-free electrical energy generated within the U.S.

Most of the nuclear energy reactors within the United States had been constructed between 1970 and 1990, however building slowed considerably after the accident at Three Mile Island close to Middletown, Pennsylvania, on March 28, 1979. From 1979 by way of 1988, 67 nuclear reactor building tasks had been canceled, in response to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

However, as a result of nuclear vitality is generated with out releasing carbon dioxide emissions, which trigger world warming, the elevated sense of urgency in responding to local weather change has given nuclear vitality an opportunity at a renaissance.

The value related to constructing nuclear reactors is a significant barrier to a possible resurgence in nuclear vitality, nevertheless. And the brand new builds at Vogtle have develop into an epitome of that cost: The building of the 2 Vogtle reactors has been affected by value overruns and delays.