Climate Changed
Trump Hands $3.7 Billion Lifeline to Last U.S. Nuke Project
- Energy Department announces loan guarantees for Vogtle plant
- Southern project has been plagued by delays and cost overruns
The nuclear reactor at Plant Vogtle power plant in Waynesboro, Georgia.
Photographer: John Bazemore/AP PhotoThis article is for subscribers only.
The Trump administration has thrown a lifeline to the last hope for a U.S. nuclear power revival, offering $3.7 billion in additional loan guarantees for Southern Co.’s troubled reactor project in Georgia.
The conditional guarantees announced Friday by the Energy Department come at a critical time for Southern. Georgia regulators are weighing whether to allow the company and its partners to continue building two new reactors at Plant Vogtle after costs soared above $25 billion amid construction delays, caused in part by the bankruptcy of contractor Westinghouse Electric Co.