The Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, also known as Plant Vogtle, is a 2-unit nuclear power plant located in Burke County, near Waynesboro, Georgia. When the two original nuclear units at Plant Vogtle were planned, the total cost estimate was $660 million.

Increased regulatory requirements, combined with a sharp increase in demand for materials and double-digit interest rates in the 1980s, all were key reasons the cost to build nuclear reactors began to soar.

Here’s a look at how the cost estimates for the first two Vogtle units changed over the years, with the final tab rising to $8.9 billion.

Year Cost estimate for first two Vogtle units

1971$660 million

1977$2.7 billion

1981$5.5 billion

1983$6.6 billion

1984$7.2 billion

1985$8.4 billion

1986$8.4 billion

1987$8.9 billion

Estimated cost now for two new units: $14 billion



Source: AJC

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