Georgia Approved to Build First Nuclear Reactors in 30 Years

The nuclear engineering industry has always seen troubled development in the United States. Despite being a stalled source of energy for decades, in a giant leap forward, even a milestone, the United States has given a Georgia utility company its approval to build two new nuclear reactors, the first such approval in 30 years.

Amid safety concerns, nuclear energy accounts for roughly 6% of the world’s energy, and the ongoing debate is stuck somewhere between “nuclear energy is sustainable, renewable, and reduces carbon emissions”, and, in light of disasters like Chernobyl, “nuclear energy is a threat to people and the environment”. Now, Southern Co. and its partners will build the new reactors in Waynesboro, Ga., about 170 miles east of Atlanta, at a plant already housing two operating reactors. The Vogtle plant will be the biggest nuclear complex in the states once it’s functioning by 2017.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission hasn’t granted a license to build a new plans since 1978, one year before Three Mile Island suffered a partial meltdown. Other plants have gotten-going since the incident, but all of their licenses were approved prior to 1978.

The new Georgia reactors come with a price tag of roughly $14 billion, and boast a design called the AP 1000 by Westinghouse, which is said to be far more sturdy and resistant to earthquakes than older models that are currently in operation. The new plants will be able to provide power to one million homes.

Is nuclear power a viable source of alternative energy? Should the U.S. continue to explore the option, or is it simply too dangerous?