On March 6, Vogtle Unit 3 safely reached initial criticality, a key step during the startup testing sequence in which operators have safely started the nuclear reaction inside the reactor.

A reactor achieves criticality when the nuclear fission reaction becomes self-sustaining. Achieving initial criticality is necessary to continue the startup of the unit in order to generate sufficient heat to produce the steam needed for the production of electricity.

Operators then continued to raise power to support synchronizing the generator to the electric grid and begin producing electricity. This step was achieved on April 1.

Next, operators will continue increasing power through multiple steps, over several weeks, ultimately raising power to 100 percent. Vogtle Unit 3 is projected to be placed in service in the May or June.

Testing has progressed through a series of “modes,” from Mode 6 to Mode 1. Unit 3 has now reached Mode 1. Unit 4 will go through the same testing modes later this year or early in 2024.

Unit 4 Progress Update

Hot functional testing started in late March and marks the last series of major tests for the new nuclear unit ahead of fuel load. Hot functional testing is conducted to verify the successful operation of reactor components and systems together and confirm the reactor is ready for fuel load. As part of the testing, the site team runs Unit 4 plant systems at normal operating pressure and temperature without nuclear fuel.

Nuclear operators are using the heat generated by the unit’s four reactor coolant pumps to sustain the temperature and pressure of plant systems at normal operating levels, and the unit’s main turbine will be raised to normal operating speed using steam from the plant. Operators are also able to exercise and validate procedures as required ahead of fuel load.

Unit 4 is focused on the remaining construction work — primarily electrical — and completions of Inspection, Test, Analyses, Acceptance Criteria (ITAAC) to support the 103g filing – the request to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for permission to load fuel, fuel load and commercial operation.

Another recent milestone for Vogtle Unit 4:

• Cold hydro testing – In early December, Unit 4 completed cold hydro testing, which is required to support the last major test remaining for Unit 4, hot functional testing. Hot functional testing is projected to commence by the end of the first quarter of 2023. Unit 4 is slated to enter commercial operation in the 1st quarter of 2024.Cold hydro testing on Unit 4 confirmed the reactor’s coolant system functions as designed and verified the welds, joints, pipes and other components of the coolant system and associated high-pressure systems do not leak when under pressure. As part of the testing, the reactor coolant system was filled with water and pressurized above-normal operating conditions, then lowered to normal design pressure while comprehensive inspections were conducted to verify the systems meet design standards.

At some point in early 2023, the new nuclear power Unit 3, at Plant Vogtle in Burke County, near Augusta, is expected to come fully online, after years of construction and cost delays. Unit 3, and Unit 4 right behind it, are expected to generate sufficient baseload power generation to power 500,000 homes across Georgia, out of Georgia Power’s 2.7 million customers statewide.

However, due to the growing energy demands of this state, and the massive costs of designing and constructing a nuclear power plant, and then clearing all regulatory hurdles, even an energy giant like Southern Co. has operating and financing partners in a venture this big.

The Vogtle Electric Generating Plant is jointly owned by Georgia Power (45.7%), Oglethorpe Power Corp. (30%), the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia (MEAG Power – 22.7%), and Dalton Utilities (1.6%). MEAG Power, created in 1975 by an act of the Georgia General Assembly, provides affordable, reliable and competitively priced wholesale electricity generation for 49 communities across Georgia.

The city of Lawrenceville owns and operates both a natural gas and an electric utility, the latter of which is a member of MEAG Power. The service area for our electric utility is 13 square miles, with more than 13,000 metered homes and business customers, and a transmission grid co-owned and maintained by Georgia Power, Jackson EMC, Walton EMC and MEAG Power. On the natural gas side of the ledger, we began service in 1950 after the installation of our first natural gas supply line and head end, and we now have 51,000 customers and 1,500 miles of pipeline reaching across Gwinnett and into Walton and Rockdale counties.

Our utilities are customer- and community-owned, and as a result, invest back heavily in our communities. That payback also comes in quicker customer service response to power outages, and with no shareholders or quarterly dividends (as with a publicly traded utility), our rates have remained stable and well below the national average.

Like most utilities, a decade ago, our primary fuel source was coal. As the industry shifted toward natural gas, so did our consumption. For the past 18 months, as the utility industry has been moving rapidly toward renewable energy sources like wind and solar (both in limited supply in Georgia), we began to focus on the critical need of system resilience and for baseload energy supply which does not create additional carbon emissions.

We made the prudent and obvious choice, several years ago, to make a major investment in new nuclear energy sources. These new AP 1000 reactors, coming online soon [Unit 3 recently reached initial criticality, a key step during the startup testing sequence in which operators have safely started the nuclear reaction inside the reactor], utilize several changes in obvious physical design, such as placing massive water tanks above the reactors, which automatically release hundreds of thousands of gallons of cooling water to flood the reactor chamber and reduce temperatures in the reactor core, if needed.

Georgia is the only state in the nation with new nuclear capacity coming online, although China has several AP 1000 reactors in operation now. And once Vogtle units 3 and 4 are fully operational, the fuel mix for the city of Lawrenceville will be coming 85% from sustainable and non-carbon emission-based sources.

Our climate and planet are warming, and whether or not we believe human behavior and energy consumption are driving all of that shift and increase in global average temperatures, we are doing our part to calm the weather, flatten out those temperature spikes and reduce carbon emissions across metro Atlanta and north Georgia, as well as the neighboring Blue Ridge and Smoky mountains, where a lot of existing weather patterns eventually move our air.

Lawrenceville residents and utility customers will receive clean, green and largely carbon-free electricity. And after construction costs have been covered, ongoing nuclear energy is also the least expensive to generate per kilowatt. Plant Vogtle units 1 and 2 have been safely and affordably generating power since 1987 and 1989, respectively, and are expected to continue operation for potentially decades more to come.

As Georgia appears poised to become a center for the manufacturing and innovation of electric vehicles and battery technology, Plant Vogtle will generate the bulk of both baseload and expanded generation capacity, allowing for further development and population growth in all regions of Georgia. We are proud to play a small part in bringing this green energy source to our customers, while also improving air quality across the state and simultaneously placing Georgia at the forefront of new nuclear energy production.

Editor’s Note: On April 1, Plant Vogtle Unit 3 successfully synchronized and connected to the electric grid, and generated electricity for the first time. Operators will continue to raise reactor power for electricity generation while performing tests at various power levels. The in-service date for Unit 3 is projected during May or June 2023. Additional information on the progress of Vogtle Units 3 & 4 can be found in the Vogtle News article in this issue.

Previous Participant Visionary City winners include Acworth, Covington, Lawrenceville and Moultrie in 2022, Douglas and Griffin in 2021, and Adel, Hogansville, Marietta and Thomasville in 2020.

“GMA is thrilled to once again partner with Georgia Trend to recognize this dynamic group of elected officials, city staff and community leaders responsible for their unique and visionary approaches to bettering their communities,” said GMA Executive Director Larry Hanson. “These cities illustrate how serving and connecting their residents through innovative developments and programming can create positive change throughout Georgia.”

The Visionary Cities are grouped by population: Large (more than 25,000), Medium (5,000 to 24,999) and Small (fewer than 4,999). LaGrange represents the Large category among Visionary Cities, while Camilla and Norcross earned their designations in the Medium category.

Following are details of the civic projects and initiatives that helped each Participant earn the Visionary City designation. Reprinted with permission from Georgia Trend.

Camilla

As it emerged from the COVID pandemic, Camilla’s elected leadership saw a need to invest in the economic future and leadership development of the city’s youth. The result was the Camilla Youth Initiative (CYI), a three-pronged program that offers high school students paying jobs at nonprofit agencies, internships in city offices and a chance to learn first-hand how municipal government functions.

All of this might have been a good idea that the city could not afford, if it were not for ARPA’s federal COVID relief funding. Camilla Mayor Kelvin Owens said the city combined part of its ARPA grant with economic development funds from its own coffers to finance CYI, which has an estimated cost of $200,000 a year.

The Camilla Youth Council forms one element of the program. Elected officials, educators and a school resource officer appoint students to this advisory board, which observes the Camilla City Council and provides feedback on issues of special interest to young people.

Another program element provides meaningful work experience – and $10 to $11 an hour – to participants ages 14 to 19 by funding part-time jobs at nonprofits that partner with the CYI. The Mitchell County School System and the Mitchell County Boys and Girls Club pitched in on this aspect. “The program is designed for these teenagers to work for nonprofits only, so they are not only getting a paycheck, but they are serving the community,” says Owens. The goal for the program launched last fall is to provide a rotation of six months of employment to 16 to 20 students at a time.

Rounding out the CYI is a program that rotates students into internships in various city departments, including the city manager’s office, human resources and public works, to provide experience directly linked to workforce needs.

Norcross

Bees and other pollinators are finding Norcross to be a friendlier place these days, thanks to the Pollinate Norcross campaign. City parks, schoolyards, power easements, even the grounds of Norcross City Hall are being planted with native plants, flowers and shrubs designed to attract pollinators.

Every schoolchild and all adults who follow the news know that pollinators are in trouble, their numbers declining due to development, pesticides and other factors. The city of Norcross decided to do something about the problem in a program that turned out to be low-cost and appealing to a wide swath of the citizenry. The city was designated a Bee City in 2018, part of a national program to promote bee-friendly practices, and Pollinate Norcross grew from there.

“Sustainability and environmental stewardship are cornerstones to the City of Norcross and our continued prosperity. Our goal is to help embed sustainability into the routine practices and procedures of the city as a driver for economic development, cost efficiencies and community health and engagement,” says Norcross Mayor Craig Newton.

In 2021-2022, the program reached nearly 800 residents through school garden groups, after-school programs, community workshops, employee education and community volunteer events. Costs have been modest: approximately $7,000 from the city’s budget and an additional $1,000 in sponsored plants and materials.

The Bee City Committee, the champion of the project, was able to build a relationship with Norcross Elementary and Summerour Middle schools since its goals meshed with the curriculum. Workshops that involved local businesses upped the awareness of the program and created a snowball effect. Master gardeners and garden clubs volunteer time and expertise, as well.

LaGrange

LaGrange is one of those cities that fully grasps the potential public parks hold for community-building, civic engagement and branding. Commitment to its parks was part of the rationale behind the city’s decision to take back capital funding and maintenance of the park system from Troup County in 2021.

“The city felt it was time to take those parks back, breathe new life into them, do renovation projects and potentially some new capital projects,” says Meg Kelsey, LaGrange city manager. “Parks are quality-of-life amenities that attract people to come and live in LaGrange, and for current residents. We want them to have products to enjoy.”

In 2021, the city hired a new parks director and additional staff to help maintain the city’s 15 parks (just over 119 acres combined). That’s important to park-rich LaGrange, where the goal is to link every city park to The Thread, a linear park master-planned to encompass more than 29 miles when completed.

“We want to bring all the parks together and tie our community together so all the neighborhoods in the city can be linked by this amenity,” Kelsey says.

LaGrange uses multiple revenue streams to finance its parks, including the general fund and a dedicated line item in the budget. Many capital improvements are funded by a special-purpose local-option sales tax (SPLOST). The city leveraged American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to build newly opened Moss and Wood Park, and Kelsey recently submitted a grant application seeking funds for a bike playground the city hopes to build across from a city elementary school.

The next big park project, Ridley Lake, will combine $3 million from a Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Grant and $3 million in city funding. “We think it will be a regional draw for people from other areas to fish, kayak, paddleboard and just enjoy the outdoors,” Kelsey says.

Welcome back to the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island!

MEAG Power has hosted at this venue for a number of years, as it allows us to tour the trading floor at The Energy Authority (TEA)—a popular event to learn more about TEA, which plays an important role in MEAG Power’s wholesale service to Participants.

Meeting attire–Business Casual; Evening activities–Dressy Casual

A recent article in the New York Times that analyzed retail electricity costs in the states with deregulated markets vs. the states with regulated markets found that costs have risen faster and remained higher for more than two decades in the deregulated states.

In the U.S., 35 states have electricity markets that are either partially or fully deregulated — that is, they have allowed separate companies to handle some or all aspects of the generation, transmission and retail distribution of electricity. Georgia, of course, remains one of the 15 states that have not deregulated its vertically integrated utility model.

The Times analysis — conducted by an energy researcher and consultant — found that, on average, retail ratepayers in a deregulated market pay $40 more per month for electricity than those in the states with a regulated market. The analysis also found that those higher rates date back as far as 1998, and that wholesale rates, too, tend to be higher in deregulated markets.

According to the article, one main reason for the higher rates in deregulated markets is that utilities must build out transmission infrastructure to carry electricity from far-flung generating locations, passing that cost along to ratepayers without much oversight by regulators.

The push toward deregulation gained steam in the 1990s, disrupting the traditional regulated monopoly model of vertically integrated electric utilities. The grand idea underpinning the push toward deregulation was that increased competition would lead to cheaper electricity.

Instead, not only have rates increased faster in deregulated markets, but numerous systemic failures have also happened in these deregulated markets. Most notably in recent years, both California and Texas have suffered through blackouts and weather-related outages on a massive scale.

The NYT article is titled: “Why Are Energy Prices So High? Some Experts Blame Deregulation.” Subscribers can access the full article here.

In November, MEAG Power held the 28th annual Mayors Summit, a forum where Participant Mayors and/or Board/Commission Chairs and their designees can share experiences, discuss the political, economic and operating environments, and build on the relationships that are the foundation of the MEAG Power family.

Considering all that had transpired in the world over the prior year, in the economy, in public affairs and in legislation, there was much to discuss at the 2022 Mayors Summit.

Ongoing supply chain disruptions. Rampant inflation. Worldwide energy supply effects from the war in Ukraine. Domestic natural gas price spikes and energy cost increases. Landmark clean energy legislation and its potential impact on public power. All of these and more are areas of interest and concern.

The program’s speakers provided an array of knowledge and insight to help Participant and MEAG Power leaders prepare for what is to come. MEAG Power leadership and staff greatly value the insight and input from MEAG Power Participant Mayors and/or Board/Commission Chairs in helping MEAG Power leadership and staff formulate the appropriate approaches to dealing with these and numerous other major issues of the day.

The presentations from the Mayors Summit included:

MEAG Power Business Review – Jim Fuller, MEAG Power president & CEO

The View From APPA: The Outlook for Public Power – Joy Ditto, president & CEO, The American Public Power Association

Energy Industry Outlook and Trends – Robert Bryce, a Texas-based author, journalist, film producer, and public speaker

The National Political Outlook – Nathan Gonzales, editor & publisher, Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales

NOTE: The presentations are posted on the password-protected event page on the MEAG Power website. If you would like to access the presentations and did not attend the event, please email us at events@meagpower.org to receive the password. (If you attended Mayors Summit, please use the previously provided password.)

After six meetings across four months, the Georgia Legislature’s Joint Study Committee on the Electrification of Transportation approved several recommendations but failed to come to a consensus on some of the most contentious issues surrounding the transition to EVs.

The recommendations, which could help direct legislation during the biennial session that starts in January, cover some of the basic infrastructure issues and include:

• Requiring commercial EV charging stations to charge by the kilowatt hour instead of the current protocol of charging based on the time spent connected to a charger. This requirement recognizes the fact that some chargers take longer than others to provide the same level of charge.
• Requiring state licensing and inspection of commercial charging stations, with the suggestion that the Georgia Department of Agriculture be responsible. The Department of Agriculture’s Fuel and Measures Division handles this function for the state’s gas pumps, as well as pumps for other fuels.
• Making any future tax on EVs mileage-based, to equate with the amount drivers of gas-powered cars pay in gasoline taxes. Georgia drivers pay 29 cents a gallon in state gas taxes and 18 cents in federal taxes. (The state gas tax remains suspended under the Governor’s orders.) Gas taxes pay for roadway construction and maintenance.
• The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) in 2023 will launch a voluntary mileage-fee pilot program. The study committee recommended that GDOT report its findings by the end of the year.

One main issue on which the study committee could not reach a consensus was the question of allowing utilities into the charging station business. Convenience stores and other commercial enterprises that are likely to build charging stations argue that utilities would have an unfair advantage in that they could pass along the investment costs for charging stations to their ratepayers, undercutting the market price per kWh.

This and other issues will be taken up in the legislative process as committees and legislators work through proposed bills during the biennial session.

On October 14, fuel load into the Vogtle Unit 3 reactor core began at Plant Vogtle. The fuel load process marked a historic and pivotal milestone toward startup and commercial operation of Unit 3.

During fuel load, nuclear technicians and operators from Westinghouse and Southern Nuclear safely transferred 157 fuel assemblies one-by-one from the Unit 3 spent fuel pool to the Unit 3 reactor core over the span of three days.

Startup testing then began. It is designed to demonstrate the integrated operation of the primary coolant system and steam supply system at design temperature and pressure with fuel inside the reactor. Operators will also bring the plant from cold shutdown to initial criticality, synchronize the unit to the electric grid and systematically raise power to 100%.

This testing process leading to commercial operation takes a number of weeks. Vogtle Unit 3 is projected to enter service by April.

Testing must progress through a series of “modes,” from Mode 6 to Mode 1. The modes are designed to progressively test operational and safety systems with increasing temperature and pressure, in Mode 2 reaching the point of “initial criticality” — or a nuclear reaction in the core. At this point, Unit 3 will have reached startup. Finally, in Mode 1, operators will raise the unit’s power to 5%, and synchronize the unit to the grid. The unit power output will be raised to various levels over several weeks, ultimately reaching 100% reactor output before beginning commercial operation.

Testing had reached Mode 3 by the time of publication of this issue.

Unit 4 Progress Update

In early December, Unit 4 completed cold hydro testing, which is required to support the last major test remaining for Unit 4, hot functional testing. Hot functional testing is projected to commence by the end of the first quarter of 2023. Unit 4 is slated to enter commercial operation by the end of the 4th quarter of 2023 or in the 1st quarter of 2024.

Cold hydro testing on Unit 4 confirmed the reactor’s coolant system functions as designed and verified the welds, joints, pipes and other components of the coolant system and associated high-pressure systems do not leak when under pressure. As part of the testing, the reactor coolant system was filled with water and pressurized above-normal operating conditions, then lowered to normal design pressure while comprehensive inspections were conducted to verify the systems meet design standards.

Other recent milestones for Vogtle Unit 4 include:

• Closed vessel testing (CVT) – Completed in early November, this testing process verified that the pipes and valves in the Unit 4 reactor coolant system are installed as designed and helps ensure safety systems function properly. To carry out CVT on the plant’s passive safety systems, workers installed the reactor vessel head as well as the lower and upper reactor internals and flow restrictors which will be used during hot functional testing to mimic flow through the reactor core.
• Rotation of turbine on turning gear – Also in November, the Unit 4 Turbine was rotated on its turning gear for the first time, demonstrating the turbine was assembled with quality and that integrated oil systems function as designed. The main turbine system consists of one high-pressure turbine and four low-pressure turbines. Rotating the turbines on the turning gear ties in all the oil systems and a significant number of supporting systems in the turbine island, which is a separate structure outside of the unit’s nuclear containment building. Once operational, the turbine will rotate at 1,800 revolutions per minute, propelled by steam produced by the unit’s two steam generators using heat transferred from the nuclear reactor. The turbine blades turn the generator rotor to produce electricity.