Georgia Power has announced that the Vogtle Unit-3 Reactor has reached initial criticality.  This means that the nuclear reaction is self-sustaining as a prerequisite for generation of electrical power. This is the first reactor to commence operation in the U.S. since May 2016.

Nuclear power is an obvious approach to reducing reliance on fossil fuels and the technology can now be maintained with operational safety.  The question of disposal of nuclear waste has yet to be resolved and should be addressed since disposal sites have been identified and appropriate methods of sequestering spent rods have been developed.  Unfortunately, a not-in-my-backyard mentality persists among state and regional legislators. This serves as a barrier to safe and permanent disposal that would facilitate reliable clean-power generation and offset the deleterious effects of greenhouse gas emissions from coal, gas and oil.

Currently the U.S relies on aging nuclear plants to supply 18 percent of power consumed. This is surpassed by renewable sources at 22 percent and the remainder fossil fuels with power demand growing at one percent annually. In contrast France relies on nuclear generation for 70 percent of electric power.