On August 15 , 2006 , Southern Nuclear formally applied for an Early Site Permit ( ESP ) for two additional units . The ESP determined whether the site was appropriate for additional reactors , and this process is separate from the Combined Construction and Operating License ( COL ) application process . On March 31 , 2008 , Southern Nuclear announced that it had submitted an application for a COL , a process which would take at least 3 to 4 years . On April 9 , 2008 , Georgia Power Company reached a contract agreement for two AP1000 reactors designed by Westinghouse ; owned by Toshiba . Westinghouse partnered with the Shaw Group ( Baton Rouge , LA ) and its Stone & Webster division to manage the project with Westinghouse responsible for engineering , design , and overall management , and Shaw responsible for manufacturing the pre-fabricated component modules and managing the on-site construction . The contract represented the first agreement for new nuclear development in the United States since the Three Mile Island accident in 1979 , and it received approval from the Georgia Public Service Commission on March 17 , 2009
Three Mile Island accident
Three Mile Island accident
Vogtle Electric Generating Plant