Plant operators safely took Unit 2 of the Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant offline on Sunday, Sept. 14, for a scheduled refueling and maintenance outage.

Each unit at Plant Vogtle requires new fuel every 18 months. The last refueling outage for Unit 2 was completed in the spring of 2013.

"Unit 2 marked its 25th anniversary of commercial operation in May of this year," said Glenn Saxon, plant manager for Units 1 and 2. "The work we perform during this and every outage at Vogtle helps keeps the plant healthy and ensures continued safe and reliable power generation for the decades ahead."

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," Saxon said. "A safe and successful outage is achieved through the focus of the entire organization – our employees and our supporting partners."

More than 1,200 additional workers from Westinghouse, General Electric and other companies have come to the plant to perform special tasks. Employees from across the Southern Nuclear fleet also are assisting Vogtle's team in the refueling effort. These additional workers provide economic stimulus to surrounding communities during their stay in the area.

Local law enforcement has been contracted to help manage the increase in traffic around the plant for the next 30 days. Local residents might experience delays in the early morning and late afternoon/evening as road patrol officers direct outage personnel and the 5,000 construction workers for Vogtle Units 3 and 4 to and from the site.

Vogtle Unit 1 will continue to safely generate electricity while Unit 2 is offline and refueling.