A new source of nuclear power for Alabama is getting pricier

The “under construction” Plant Vogtle nuclear reactor is getting more costly, and Alabama is among the electricity customers who may be impacted. The new complex is now projected to cost its owners $300 million dollars more than expected, now to a total of $30 billion dollars. A financial report from last week clearly pushed the cost of the plant near Augusta past previous estimates. That amount doesn’t count the nearly $4 billion dollar that Westinghouse-- the original contractor-- paid to the owners. That could bring total spending to more than $34 billion. Vogtle is the only nuclear plant under construction in the United States. Power cooperatives in Alabama and Florida, as well as the municipal utility in the Florida city of Jacksonville are obligated to buy power from the new plant. Observers note that the soaring cost of the Vogtl plant could convince other utility companies to delay building new nuclear facilities of their own.