Vogtle nuclear expansion nets first reactor pump
Georgia Power’s Vogtle nuclear expansion effort achieved a milestone with the recent placement of the first of four reactor coolant pumps (RCPs).
Officials said the 375,000-pound pump was installed at the Waynesboro, Georgia, venue in the Unit 3 containment vessel where the nuclear components are housed.
The reactor coolant pumps are to be mounted to the steam generator and serve a critical part of the reactor coolant system, officials said, circulating water from the steam generator to the reactor vessel, allowing sufficient heat transfer for safe plant operation.
Georgia Power provided a Unit Unit 4 update, noting the project continues to progress with concrete placement inside the containment vessel lasting more than 60 hours, with more than 2,000 cubic yards of concrete placed – the equivalent of 200 cement truckloads. The concrete placement supports the upcoming installation of the final steam generator and pressurizer.
There are more than 7,000 construction workers on-site, Georgia Power said, with more than 800 permanent jobs available once the units begin operating.
Vogtle Units 3 and 4 serve as the largest jobs-producing construction project in the state, per Georgia Power personnel.
Georgia Power is the largest electric subsidiary of Southern Company, with officials adding value, reliability, customer service and stewardship are the cornerstones of the company’s promise to 2.5 million customers in all but four of Georgia’s 159 counties.
