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The first nuclear components, the plates for the "bottom head" of the Unit 3 containment vessel, arrive at the site.
Containment vessel parts arrive at Vogtle
The initial plates that will make up the "bottom head" of the Unit 3 containment vessel at Plant Vogtle have arrived on site.
The plates will form the "bottom head" of the
reactor vessel.
The plates will form the "bottom head" of the reactor vessel. Two nuclear reactors are under construction at Vogtle and will begin commercial operation in 2016 and 2017. The new units will be the first in the industry to use the Westinghouse AP1000 advanced pressurized water reactor technology.
"This is a significant milestone for Vogtle," said David Jones, Southern Nuclear vice president. "These are the first nuclear components to arrive on our site, and they arrived on schedule."
The two steel containment vessels are each approximately 131 feet in diameter, 213 feet high, and weigh approximately 4,000 tons. The bottom head section will weigh 650 tons.
The containment vessel parts are being manufactured by IHI Yokohama No. 1 Works in Yokohama, Japan, and shipped to the Port of Savannah. The journey takes four weeks. Each containment vessel will be delivered in five shipments as separate plate components and built on site at Vogtle.
The containment vessel plates will be brought to the site via 46 truck deliveries. It will take 58 plates to make the bottom head of the containment vessel, and the fabrication will take approximately one year.
The additions of units 3 and 4 at Vogtle are expected to produce approximately 3,500 jobs during construction and 800 permanent jobs once the units begin operation.
Plant Vogtle is owned by Georgia Power, Oglethorpe Power Corporation, Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia and Dalton Utilities.
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