President Barack Obama is making roughly $8 billion in federal loan guarantees available to help build the first U.S. nuclear power plant in three decades.

Discussing a plant envisioned for Burke County, Ga., Obama told a union audience Tuesday that the initiative will create thousands of construction jobs and 800 permanent jobs. He called it "only the beginning" of efforts to develop "safe, clean" energy-efficient technologies.

Obama has been arguing that the country must develop cleaner energy technologies and modernize the means by which it powers itself. At the same time, he has said that policymakers must not conclude they have to choose between a cleaner environment and sufficient energy supplies to meet demand.

Tags: Georgia, President Barack Obama, federal loan guarantees, nuclear facility, Burke