Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) said that he looks forward to the future of nuclear energy following the announcement from Georgia Power that the new Plant Vogtle Unit 3 is commercially operational. In an Aug. 1 post to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Donalds said the building of the new nuclear reactor aligns perfectly with his "nuclear package," which consists of 20 bills.
"For the first time in 30+yrs, a nuclear reactor has been built in America to provide electricity to our grid," Donalds wrote in his post. "This is exactly what my 20-bill nuclear package aims to facilitate across our nation. Looking forward to further breakthroughs with this innovative tech."
In a July 31 post to X, Georgia Power Co. announced that Plant Vogtle Unit 3 has entered commercial operation. The tweet said, "The new unit represents a long-term investment in the state’s clean energy future and will provide reliable, emissions-free energy to customers for decades to come." Georgia Power Co. also noted in the video attached to the post that the fourth unit at the site will continue construction. When Unit 4 is complete, Plant Vogtle will generate the largest amount of clean energy in the country.
According to the Associated Press, at its maximum capacity of 1,100 megawatts, Unit 3 has the capability to supply electricity to 500,000 homes and businesses. Moreover, the electricity is also being distributed to several other utilities in Georgia, Florida and Alabama, along with serving the 2.7 million customers of Southern Co. subsidiary, Georgia Power. Chris Womack, CEO of Atlanta-based Southern Co. said, “This hadn’t been done in this country from start to finish in some 30-plus years. So, to do this, to get this done, to get this done right, is a wonderful accomplishment for our company, for the state and for the customers here in Georgia.”
On July 18, Rep. Donalds introduced the 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th bills of his 2023-24 Nuclear Energy Package, according to the Federal Newswire. Donalds said, "Not only is nuclear the cleanest and greenest source of energy at our country's disposal, but it is an invaluable asset that we must utilize in order to efficiently power the future of our nation." He said that his legislative package "promotes this critical and under-utilized solution to America's current and future energy demands."
A Scott Rasmussen National Survey from July 20 indicates that 53% of voters expressed a greater inclination to support increases in U.S. nuclear power production upon discovering that France predominantly relies on nuclear energy for its power generation, according to Ballotpedia. 12% of respondents indicated that they were less likely to support expanded nuclear power generation after being informed about France's nuclear energy usage. Additionally, the survey revealed that 63% of voters were more inclined to support the idea of increasing domestic nuclear energy production after learning about the advanced technology of newer, smaller modular reactors, which produce no nuclear waste.
