Southern Nuclear's historic fuel installation marks pivotal moment for nuclear reliability

Birmingham, Ala. – April 10, 2025 – Southern Nuclear successfully received and installed four Lead Test Assemblies (LTAs) with next-generation fuel features into Unit 2 of the Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant (Plant Vogtle). This achievement, which marks the first U.S. commercial reactor use of enrichments exceeding historical limits, is set to bolster nuclear reliability and support the long-term energy needs of the country.

The company had previously received a license amendment from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in 2023 to load the LTAs, which include innovative pellets and cladding developed within the U.S. Department of Energy’s Accident Tolerant Fuel (ATF) program and manufactured by Westinghouse. The four LTAs represent the first installation of fuel rods containing enrichments of uranium-235 greater than 5 weight percent in a domestic commercial reactor.

“More than ever, clean, baseload nuclear power is essential to our country’s energy mix, and this achievement is a significant step forward for not only the resiliency of the entire U.S. operating fleet, but future nuclear technologies,” said Southern Nuclear Chairman, President and CEO Pete Sena. “Our goal is to operate our units for longer periods with higher output, and with higher enriched fuel, we’re even better positioned to meet the growing energy demands of the state of Georgia.”

Enhanced Accident Tolerant Fuel technologies like the LTAs recently installed in Plant Vogtle Unit 2 are expected to offer better performance during normal operation, transient conditions and unlikely accident scenarios. Higher-uranium-enriched fuels can be utilized for longer durations in a nuclear reactor, which could extend the length of time between refueling outages and reduce operational disruptions, making nuclear power more available. The technologies can also reduce the levelized cost of electricity by enabling superior fuel utilization in concert with power uprates and extending intervals between refueling.

The Plant Vogtle LTA program uses key components of Westinghouse’s High Energy Fuel initiative and the EnCore^®Fuel program with the intent of lowering the cost of electricity while increasing the fuel’s resiliency. These features include ADOPT^TM uranium dioxide pellets, AXIOM^TM fuel rod cladding and chromium-coated cladding combined with Westinghouse’s advanced PRIME^TMfuel assembly design.

Southern Nuclear is a recognized leader within the commercial nuclear industry in incremental deployment of enhanced Accident Tolerant Fuel technology, having been the first in the world to install ATF fuel cladding technologies in 2018 at Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant (Plant Hatch) Unit 1. Southern Nuclear has partnered with national labs and other fuel providers to install and test other advanced fuel technologies and expects to continue this important work to improve nuclear reliability within the industry.

For more than 50 years, the company has operated nuclear energy facilities safely and reliably, creating carbon-free electricity for millions of homes and businesses. Southern Nuclear operates a total of eight units for Alabama Power and Georgia Power. The company recently achieved commercial operation on Vogtle Units 3 & 4, which represent historic achievements for the nuclear industry as the first new nuclear units to be built in the United States in the last three decades.

 

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Southern Nuclear, a subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), is a leader among the nation’s nuclear energy facility operators and an innovator in advanced nuclear technologies. Southern Nuclear is an essential part of Southern Company’s energy portfolio, operating over 8,200 MW across eight nuclear energy units in Alabama and Georgia at the Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant near Dothan, Ala., the Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant near Baxley, Ga., and the Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant near Waynesboro, Ga.

The company recently achieved commercial operation on Vogtle Units 3&4, representing a historic achievement for the nuclear industry and the country. Vogtle Units 3&4 are the first new nuclear units to reach commercial operation and be built in the United States in the last three decades. Southern Nuclear is a recognized leader in the industry in nuclear and fuel innovation, having been the first to deploy Accident Tolerant Fuels and winning over 10 consecutive Top Innovative Practice (TIP) Awards and nine EPRI awards.

For more than 50 years, Southern Nuclear has operated nuclear energy facilities at the highest levels of safety and reliability, generating carbon-free electricity for millions of homes and businesses. The company’s headquarters is in Birmingham, Ala.

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