Southern Nuclear Operating Co. has filed an application with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for an early site permit (ESP) for the Alvin W. Vogtle nuclear power plant near Augusta, Ga.



Filing an ESP allows companies to obtain approval for a nuclear power plant site from the NRC before deciding whether they will build the facility. Through this process, the NRC can determine whether a site is suitable for a nuclear power plant before the company seeking the permit commits funds to the project. Once approved, the company can “bank” or retain use of the site for a nuclear power plant for 20 years.



“We expect demand for electricity in the southeast – specifically in Georgia – to increase significantly by 2015 and beyond. Nuclear power is a safe, reliable, cost-effective power source that has a low impact on the environment,” said Southern Nuclear President and CEO Barnie Beasley.



Securing the approved site can lessen the time it takes to build a new nuclear power plant since it is part of the license application process the company would eventually need to follow it if decides to move forward with the project.



Georgia Power, one of the owners of the Vogtle site, also would need to seek approval from the Georgia Public Service Commission before building a new plant. Two reactors have operated at the Vogtle power station since the late 1980s.



Roughly 25 percent of the electricity generated in Georgia comes from the Vogtle and Edwin Hatch nuclear power plants.