Georgia Power finalizes plan for first nuclear expansion in more than 30 years

Under a new service agreement reached between Georgia Power and Westinghouse last week, the Vogtle nuclear plant in Burke County will expand its number of units.

It is big news for both the power company and for nuclear power in general. With the approval of the expansion by the U.S. Department of Energy, Vogtle represents the first new nuclear units to be built in the United States in more than 30 years. Southern Nuclear will oversee construction.

“We are already in the midst of a seamless transition for the thousands of workers across the site, allowing
us to sustain the progress we are making every day on both units,” Mark Rauckhorst, executive vice
president for the Vogtle 3 and 4 project, said. “We remain focused on safety and quality as we complete this transition.”

The agreement between the companies laid out the project management roles for various employees already aligned with the project. It also covered engineering, procurement and licensing questions. Westinghouse is the developer of the AP1000 nuclear technology being used by the new units and thus needed to provide access to its intellectual property despite its bankruptcy filings on March 29.

Schedule and cost-to-complete analyses are still underway, but the construction is already making headway. Concrete had been laid to provide the shield and nuclear island for Unit 3, structural steel placed for the Unit 4 annex building and one of the units’ four accumulator tanks have been placed within Unit 3’s containment vessel.