The Atlanta-based Southern Co. said Monday it does not expect delays as it attempts to break ground on the nation's first nuclear reactors in a generation, despite an earthquake and tsunami in Japan that put several of that country's nuclear reactors at risk of a meltdown and focused new attention on nuclear power safety concerns.

Southern Co. subsidiary Georgia Power and its partners are seeking to build two Westinghouse Electric Co. AP1000 reactors at Plant Vogtle, near Waynesboro. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is expected to decide whether to approve the AP1000 for use as early as late summer. The Southern Co. wants a separate decision on its request for a license to build and operate the expanded plant by the end of the year.

Read more: Albany Herald