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Premature designs and early-years supply chains were key factors in the delays of the Vogtle Units 3 and 4 nuclear reactors, says Dan Lipman, president of energy systems at Westinghouse Electric Systems.

Why it matters: The U.S. is looking to kickstart a nuclear renaissance, and companies could learn valuable lessons from the mistakes at Vogtle. 

Catch up quick: Vogtle units 3 and 4 started operating in 2023 and 2024, respectively, near Waynesboro, Georgia, after running billions of dollars over budget and years behind schedule. Vogtle's cost overruns contributed to the Westinghouse bankruptcy in 2017.

Vogtle units 3 and 4 are the most recent reactors built in the U.S. in almost a decade and use Westinghouse's AP1000 reactors, which have modular construction and passive safety features. Lipman directly worked on the projects.

Those nuclear projects are now delivering over 2 gigawatts of clean energy to the Georgia power grid. 

Zoom in: "We went into the field without the design being fully complete," Lipman says. "My definition of fully complete then is different from my definition of fully complete now . . . my definition now is shovel-ready."

The supply chain, which is global, was also "getting shaken down in those early years," Lipman says. "There are about 3,000 line items of stuff in the AP1000."

There was a lack of skilled nuclear construction workers, a slow-moving regulatory environment, and new air crash safety regulations to meet, Lipman says. 

Zoom out: Today, Lipman says the Vogtle units are operating "great." "There's no technology risk at all in the AP 1000. You turn the key, and it starts running."

Just as important, Lipman says, the work that was done with Vogtle unit 3 and 4 will now lower costs and streamline deployment for future reactors. The next AP1000s deployed globally are likely to be in Poland and Bulgaria.

Lipman says one of the biggest factors that is jump-starting nuclear projects is that hyperscalers are "impelling demand."

The U.S. needs development capital to fund the early construction of nuclear projects, Lipman says. The DOE's Loan Programs Office "is very fundamentally important to the nuclear resurgence that we're seeing."

What's next: Lipman predicts the next nuclear reactors of any kind to go live in the U.S. could be at a station in Jenkinsville, South Carolina. 

Santee Cooper is reviewing proposals from those who want to acquire and complete a stalled nuclear project. That project had ordered AP1000s but canceled the order in 2017.

Westinghouse energy head finds lessons in Vogtle delays

His new definition of a completed design is "shovel-ready."

Photo illustration of Dan Lipman surrounded by abstract shapes. 

Photo illustration: Axios Visuals. Photo: Courtesy of Westinghouse Electric Company.

Premature designs and early-years supply chains were key factors in the delays of the Vogtle Units 3 and 4 nuclear reactors, says Dan Lipman, president of energy systems at Westinghouse Electric Systems.Why it matters: The U.S. is looking to kickstart <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="a nuclear renaissance" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/pro/climate-deals/2025/05/09/rise-nuclear-deployment-startups" data-vars-content-id="6713112f-4461-40a3-8491-1ac7d9517fb0" data-vars-headline="Westinghouse energy head finds lessons in Vogtle delays" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/pro/climate-deals/2025/05/09/rise-nuclear-deployment-startups" target="_self">a nuclear renaissance</a>, and companies could learn valuable lessons from the mistakes at Vogtle.

Westinghouse energy head finds lessons in Vogtle delays

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