America's first new commercial nuclear energy reactors in 30 years are under construction at the Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Generating Station in Fairfield County, South Carolina, and the Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant in Burke County, Georgia.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on March 30 voted to clear the way for its Office of New Reactors to issue two licenses for two new AP1000 reactors at the V.C. Summer site in Parr, S.C. This marks the NRC's second approval of nuclear units to be built in the United States in two months. In February, the NRC approved a license for Atlanta-based Southern Company's Vogtle project, in Waynesboro, Ga. The NRC had not issued any new reactor licenses since 1978.