Plant operators safely removed Unit 1 of the Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant offline on Sunday, March 12, at 5 a.m. ET for a scheduled refueling outage.

Each of the two units at Plant Vogtle requires new fuel every 18 months. The most recent refueling outage for Unit 1 was completed in the fall of 2015.

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

"Safety is our number one priority during the refueling outage," said Keith Taber, site vice president for Vogtle units 1 and 2.  "A safe and successful outage is achieved through the focus of the entire organization – our employees and our supporting partners. The station has planned for this refueling outage for over a year. This planning ensures the activities are coordinated to ensure safety is maintained at the highest level."

Employees from across the Southern Nuclear fleet as well as nearly 1,100 additional workers from Westinghouse, General Electric, Day & Zimmermann, Williams Corporation and other companies have come to the plant to assist the site employees in completing the multiple task required to ensure the unit will run safely and reliably for the next 18 months.

These additional workers provide considerable economic stimulus to surrounding communities during their stay in the area.

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