Energy Secretary Steven Chu will travel to Burke County this week for a tour of Plant Vogtle – the site of the first new commercial nuclear power reactors to be built in the U.S. in a generation.

The site visit, scheduled for Wednesday, comes on the heels of last week’s Nuclear Regulatory Commission issuance of the first-ever combined operating license that authorizes the construction and operation of the two new units.

Preliminary site work for the $14 billion expansion has been under way in Burke County for several years. The new license allows Southern Nuclear to move the project from site preparation into full nuclear construction.

Chu, who is expected to deliver remarks highlighting the administration’s support for nuclear energy, will be accompanied by Southern Company CEO Thomas A. Fanning and Georgia Power CEO W. Paul Bowers.