Plant operators safely took Unit 1 of the Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant offline on Sunday, March 16, at 4 a.m. ET for a scheduled refueling and maintenance outage.

Each unit at Plant Vogtle requires new fuel every 18 months. The last refueling outage for Unit 1 was completed in the fall of 2012.

"This cycle, Unit 1 provided power for more than 513 consecutive days," said Tom Tynan, site vice president for Vogtle Units 1 and 2. "That's maximum performance. The phenomenal job our employees do every day is what makes that possible."

In addition to refueling the reactor during the outage, workers will perform regular maintenance and tests, and upgrade plant equipment.

"Safety is our number one priority during the outage," Tynan said. "A safe and successful outage is achieved through the focus of the entire organization – our employees and our supporting partners."