WAYNESBORO, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - A transformer fire put Plant Vogtle on alert for over two hours Tuesday afternoon, a situation that officials said never threatened public safety.
Georgia Power said the alert - took effect at noon and ended at 2:36 p.m.
Burke County officials said no one was hurt.
It happened at Units 1 and 2, the older part of the plant near Waynesboro, according to the company.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission as well as state and local agencies were notified that the emergency was resolved.
"Trained personnel are working on recovery efforts in close coordination with federal, state and local officials," Georgia Power said.
An alert "means an event has occurred that could reduce the plant's level of safety," the company said in a statement.
Out of four levels of emergency classifications required by the NRC, an alert is second from the lowest.
"Georgia Power's top priority is the safety of the public and employees at the plant," the company said in a statement. "We are committed to the safe operation of our nuclear generating facility."
After the alert was issued, the Burke County Emergency Management Agency stressed that there was no danger to the public and that "no corrective actions are needed."
It's only been weeks since the newest unit opened at the plant - seven years late and well over budget.
Units 1 and 2 have been operating at the plant for decades, while Units 3 and 4 have been under construction in recent years.
Unit 3 began operation about a year ago and then Unit 4 went online in April. They're the first new nuclear reactors in the U.S. in over 30 years.
The expansion project's overall cost, including financing, was listed in December as $31 billion for Georgia Power and three other owners. Add in $3.7 billion that original contractor Westinghouse paid to walk away from construction, and the total nears $35 billion.
Georgia Power owns 45.7% of the reactors. Smaller shares are owned by Oglethorpe Power Corp., which provides electricity to member-owned cooperatives, the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia and the city of Dalton. Some Florida and Alabama utilities have also contracted to buy Vogtle's power.