Vogtle Unit 3 reaches new milestones

Vogtle Unit 3 passed the structural integrity and integrated leak rate tests, demonstrating the new containment vessel at the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant in Waynesboro, Ga., meets construction quality and design requirements.

The containment vessel protects the public by containing material produced inside the reactor vessel in the unlikely event of an emergency. The structural integrity test called for the vessel to be pressurized so that each accessible weld seam on the containment vessel was inspected by specially trained inspectors. The integrated leak rate test verified that the containment vessel and its isolation valves, piping and electrical penetrations, and hatches properly performed their intended safety functions.

“The successful and safe completion of these major tests helps ensure our plant is built to the quality expected of a world-class nuclear facility and demonstrates our continued progress with testing,” Vogtle 3 & 4 Construction Executive Vice President Glen Chick said. The plant is being developed by Georgia Power, which is part of the Southern Company.

Vogtle units 3 and 4 will be the first new nuclear power units built in the United States in the past three decades. Unit 3 is slated to be in service in November 2021, while Unit 4 will be operational in November 2022. The two new units will be able to power more than 500,000 homes and businesses and provide customers with a new carbon-free energy source. There are more than 7,000 workers on-site during construction. Once they are both open, there will be more than 800 permanent jobs available.