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The Latest: Georgia governor praises vote on nuclear plant

ATLANTA (AP) — The Latest on the Georgia Public Service meeting about construction of new nuclear generators at a power plant (all times local): 10:45 a.m. Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal is praising a decision by state utility regulators to let construction proceed on a multi-billion-dollar nuclear...

ATLANTA (AP) — The Latest on the Georgia Public Service meeting about construction of new nuclear generators at a power plant (all times local):

10:45 a.m.

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal is praising a decision by state utility regulators to let construction proceed on a multi-billion-dollar nuclear plant.

In a statement shortly after Thursday's vote, Deal commended the Georgia Public Service Commission for its "vision and foresight."

The commission's decision comes after massive cost-overruns for the two reactors now under construction at Plant Vogtle near the South Carolina line.

The reactors at Vogtle were the first new ones to be licensed and to begin construction in the U.S. since 1978.

Deal said investing in the project is a worthwhile endeavor, and that it's important that Georgians "stay the course" and the project continues.

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10:25 a.m.

Georgia's utility regulators are allowing construction to continue on two new nuclear reactors, despite massive cost overruns for the multi-billion-dollar project.

Thursday's decision by the state's Public Service Commission will shape the future of the nation's nuclear industry, partly because the reactors at Plant Vogtle were the first new ones to be licensed and to begin construction in the U.S. since 1978.

About 100 existing commercial nuclear reactors supply roughly 20 percent of U.S. electricity.

The Georgia project — which includes the two new reactors near the South Carolina border — has been plagued by delays and spiraling costs, compounded when the main contractor filed for bankruptcy. That company, Westinghouse Electric Co., the U.S. nuclear unit of Japan's Toshiba Corp., filed for bankruptcy in March.

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9:30 a.m.

Georgia's utility regulators are meeting Thursday to decide the fate of a $25 billion nuclear power plant, and the outcome could help shape the future of the U.S. nuclear energy industry.

The Public Service Commission is expected to decide whether to allow construction to continue on two new nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle, despite massive cost-overruns for the project.

The commission's decision is important for the nuclear energy industry, partly because the two reactors now being built there are the first new ones to be licensed and to begin construction in the U.S. since 1978.

The project has been plagued by delays and spiraling costs, compounded when the main contractor filed for bankruptcy. Westinghouse Electric Co., the U.S. nuclear unit of Japan's Toshiba Corp., filed for bankruptcy in March.