Georgia Power places 150-ton shield building panels at Vogtle 3 & 4 nuclear expansion

Georgia Power recently announced that it placed the first two sets of double-decker shield building panels around the outer wall of the Unit 3 containment vessel near the Vogtle 3 & 4 nuclear expansion near Waynesboro, Georgia.

The shield building panels provide structural support to the containment cooling water supply and protect the containment vessel, which houses the reactor vessel.

The company placed a total of four six-panel sections. Each one measures 20 feet tall and 114 feet wide and weighs from 180,000 to 300,000 pounds. The heaviest panels are placed on the side of containment where the shield building ties into the auxiliary building walls and roof. The shield building is made of steel and concrete using a steel composite design.

The placement of the panels requires a team of approximately 15 individuals including crane operator, riggers, spotters, engineers and project managers. The panels were fabricated in Newport News, Virginia.

“Placing the six-panel assembly was a new method for us – one that allowed us to set two full courses in just four lifts, thus drastically shortening the duration for setting shield building courses,” Vogtle 3 & 4 Construction Senior Vice President Glen Chick said.

To date, more than half of the shield building panels have been placed for Unit 3.