Business

Pressure on as Southern Co. builds nuclear plant

By Ray Henry
Published December 14, 2012 11:18pm ET
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Pressure on as Southern Co. builds nuclear plant
In this Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012 photo, an earth mover works on a new nuclear reactor at the Plant Vogtle nuclear power plant in Augusta, Ga. One of the plant's existing reactors is shown in the background. The $14 billion project is trending hundreds of millions of dollars over budget and trailing more than a year behind schedule, according to a report from a state-hired construction watchdog. Buzz Miller, executive vice president of nuclear development at Southern Co., who oversees the project, says quality counts more than cost. (AP Photo/John Bazemore) | John Bazemore

WAYNESBORO, Ga. (AP) — Southern Co. has had a simple message for the past few years: The effort to build the country’s first new nuclear power plant in a generation was on time and on budget. Now, that message is changing.

The $14 billion project to build two reactors at Plant Vogtle is trending hundreds of millions of dollars over budget and trailing more than a year behind schedule, according to a report from a state-hired construction watchdog. Now top-ranking utility executives are saying quality counts more than cost.

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