NEW YORK: A new reactor at a US nuclear power plant entered into operation Monday, a first in seven years in the country where conventional reactors may give way to smaller-scale nuclear facilities.

The Vogtle Unit 3 near Waynesboro, in the southeastern state of Georgia, has begun serving some 500,000 homes and businesses, operator Georgia Power said in a statement.

“The new unit represents a long-term investment in the state’s clean energy future and will provide reliable, emissions-free energy to customers for decades to come,” the company said.