WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today welcomed the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s approval of a Combined Construction and Operating License for two new nuclear reactors at Southern Co.’s Vogtle plant in Georgia.

“Today’s decision clears the way for the first construction of new nuclear reactors here in decades,” Murkowski said. “This was the right decision both for our energy security and our economy. The greatest thing we can do to ensure a robust economy is to make power more affordable and the development of safe nuclear power is a big part of that solution.”

Today’s decision by the NRC is the first time since 1978 that the commission has issued a license to build a new reactor. The two new reactors, which have undergone seven years of planning, are expected to generate enough electricity to power 1 million homes.

Murkowski is the ranking Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. 

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