Final Module placed for Vogtle 3 & 4 Project

All modules for Georgia Power’s Vogtle 3 & 4 nuclear expansion project near Waynesboro, Georgia, have now been set as a massive water tank has been lifted into place atop the Unit 4 containment vessel and shield building roof. The placement also represents the last major crane lift at the project site.  The Passive Containment Cooling Water Storage Tank, known as CB-20, is a major part of the AP1000 reactor’s advanced passive safety system. Standing 35 feet tall and weighing more than 720,000 pounds, the large component will hold approximately 750,000 gallons of water ready to flow down in the unlikely event of an emergency to help cool the reactor. The water can also be directed into the used fuel pool, while the tank itself can be refilled from water stored elsewhere on site.  The AP1000 plant’s passive safety systems require no operator actions to mitigate potential emergency situations. These systems use only natural forces such as gravity, natural circulation and compressed gas to achieve their safety function. No pumps, fans, diesels, chillers or other active machinery are used, except for a few simple valves that automatically align and actuate the passive safety systems.  The modules used for Vogtle units 3 & 4 were made in advance of arriving to the project site and ready to be assembled into larger components that make up the nuclear units. Since 2011, major modules were delivered to the site by rail and truck and included a range of plant components such as floor and wall sections and supporting structures that surround the containment buildings and reactor vessels.  The final major module arrived at the construction site in late 2019, meaning all 1,485 major modules required to complete construction had been manufactured and safely delivered.