The Nuclear Industry’s Track Record Nationally
Cost Overruns, Delays, Cancellations
The stories of nuclear power projects over the decades carry recurring themes: cost overruns, delays, setbacks and abandonment.
A global study found that 97% of nuclear projects have ended with final costs exceeding initial budgets, with an average overrun of $1.3 billion. Two-thirds of all projects took more time than projected. In the 1980s, American utilities lost $100 billion on nuclear plants that were never finished. More than 100 nuclear reactors in the U.S. have been cancelled, nearly half of which had already begun construction.
For more on these project stories and other abandoned nuclear projects in the U.S., check out Power Magazine’s interactive map.
New Nuclear Power Debacle: Georgia’s Plant Vogtle
The completion of the Vogtle nuclear expansion in Georgia has come at an enormous cost—$36 billion, making it the most expensive power plant ever built on Earth. This financial burden hasn’t fallen on utility executives or investors, but on Georgia’s everyday electric customers. Even before the new reactors produced a single watt of power, the average Georgia Power household was charged about $1,000 in pre-construction financing fees. Now that the reactors are operational, customers received a jarring 23.7% increase in their electric rates—far above the 2–3% originally promised. This outcome represents a stunning breach of trust and illustrates how regulatory agencies have repeatedly failed to protect ratepayers.
The impact on low-income and overburdened communities is especially devastating. These households already spend a disproportionate share of their income on utility bills, and Vogtle’s rate hikes push many further into financial instability. Vulnerable communities are left to choose between electricity and essentials like food or medication.
Rather than learn from these failures, federal policymakers and the current Administration have chosen to double down on expensive, pro-industry policies that put taxpayers and ratepayers at risk—issuing Executive Orders, preserving and passing new tax incentives, and “streamlining” nuclear permitting by diminishing the independence of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Meanwhile, proven, affordable solutions such as wind, solar, rooftop solar, battery storage, and energy efficiency remain underfunded and obstructed by utility monopolies and the federal government.
Vogtle’s legacy is clear: a monument to mismanagement and corporate capture that has hit working families with decades of unnecessary costs. For overburdened communities already struggling with energy poverty, Plant Vogtle is not a solution—it’s a compounding crisis.
Georgia Power is a subsidiary of Southern Company and the largest electric utility in the state, serving more than 2.7 million customers. The utility has the highest shutoff rate among the six utilities in this report. Georgia Power is doubling down on
its reliance on methane gas while waging a full-fledged assault against rooftop and community solar, which helped bring in record profits in 2024.
Plant Vogtle
Where: Waynesboro, Georgia
When: 2009-2024
Outcome: Unit 3 entered commercial service on July 31, 2023. Unit 4 entered commercial service on April 30, 2024. The two nuclear reactor units were initially expected to be finished by April 1, 2016 and April 1, 2017, respectively.
Key cost stats: Costs for the two Westinghouse AP1000 reactors ballooned from the initial cost estimate of $14 billion to $36.8 billion. This followed a pattern: Vogtle reactor Units 1 & 2, constructed between 1976-1987, were projected to cost $660 million but ended up costing almost $9 billion.
Notable facts: Between 2011-2024, Georgia Power customers paid $1000 per household in early on-bill tariffs through an early financing mechanism called Construction Work in Progress. Once Units 3 & 4 entered commercial service the largest rate increase in state history took place: residential electric rates increased 23.7%. Georgia Power’s 45.7% share of the project was only 1,020 megawatts, which added just 7% new capacity.
Learn more: https://truthaboutvogtle.com/ and August 2025 Vogtle blog
V.C. Summer Project
Where: Jenkinsville, South Carolina
When: 2008-2017
Outcome: The two planned nuclear reactors were never finished.
Key cost stats: Estimated construction costs climbed to $25 billion after an initial investment of $9 billion. The $16 billion gap prompted the utilities to bow out of the project, effectively ending it.
Notable facts: South Carolina Electric & Gas customers will pay a substantial amount of the $16 billion debt through their monthly power bills over the next 20 years.
Learn more: Nukegate Scandal and SRS Watch on possible restart of construction
Washington Public Power Supply System (Energy Northwest)
Where: Washington
When: 1970s-80s
Outcome: Construction of 4 of the 5 nuclear plants was terminated before completion.
Key cost stats: By 1982, the plants were years behind schedule and projected costs were four times over the original budget, swelling from $4.5 billion initially to $24 billion.
Notable facts: When WA Public Power Supply System defaulted on $2.25 billion in municipal bonds financing two of the five nuclear plants, it was the nation’s largest ever municipal bond default at the time — and is still the second largest such default today. Ultimately bondholders would receive between 10-40 cents on every dollar invested. In 1998, the Supply System changed its name to Energy Northwest in hopes of shedding its negative image, costing ratepayers $260,000. Energy Northwest was to be the plant operator for the UAMPS/NuScale proposed SMR project in Idaho Falls, but backed out in early 2021.
Learn More: HistoryLink, Seattle Times, Wikipedia
