Georgia Power announced Wednesday that the first steam generator has been placed at the Vogtle nuclear expansion project near Waynesboro, Georgia.
Workers hoisted into place the 1.4 million-pound steam generator into the Unit 3 nuclear island on Tuesday, marking the first major lift under the recently finalized service agreement with Westinghouse which places Southern Nuclear in charge of oversight activities at the construction site. Southern Nuclear is the Southern Company subsidiary which operates the existing units at Plant Vogtle.
Georgia Power announced the milestone while thousands of construction workers, millions of ratepayers and, indeed, the nation are waiting for word on whether or not the two-unit expansion project will be fully funded and completed. The company reiterated its plans for the funding decision which will be announced by the end of the month. "Georgia Power continues efforts to complete its comprehensive schedule and cost-to-complete assessment, as well as cancellation cost assessment, for the Vogtle nuclear expansion by the end of the month. The final recommendation is expected to be filed with the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) as part of the 17th Vogtle Construction Monitoring (VCM) Report. Once submitted, Georgia Power will work with the Georgia PSC to determine the best path forward for customers," the company said.
Meanwhile, construction marches forward. The steam generators, the company said, measures nearly 80 feet long. They are to act as heat exchange components that convert water into steam using the heat produced in a nuclear reactor core. Each new AP1000 unit at Plant Vogtle requires two steam generators, which were fabricated in South Korea and transported to the site via the Port of Savannah and then via rail. All of the steam generators for the expansion project are currently on site in Georgia
Georgia Power noted that, following the Westinghouse bankruptcy filing on March 29, construction momentum has continued uninterrupted. In addition to Tuesday's placement, other recent progress includes the placement of the first of four 85,000 pound accumulator tanks for the new units, as well as the KQ22 and KQ23 modules, all within the Unit 3 containment vessel.
The company noted that the two new units at Plant Vogtle are "the first to be built in the United States in more than 30 years." Georgia Power owns 45.7 percent of the new unites, with smaller shares owned by Oglethorpe Power, MEAG Power and Dalton Utilities, all of which are Georgia-based.