A Bechtel-led construction team today placed the massive reactor building dome on Unit 4, the second of Plant Vogtle’s Units 3 and 4 in Waynesboro, Georgia, the company announced on Wednesday.
“We completed this important milestone safely and continue to demonstrate our commitment to deliver these units as promised for our customer and this community. This milestone indicates tremendous progress on the project, and we expect this momentum to continue throughout 2020. We are proud to be a part of building the future of nuclear power in the United States,” said Bechtel Project Director Brian Reilly.
Bechtel’s nuclear reactor weighs approximately 1.5 million pounds and measures 130 feet in diameter and 37 feet tall. The dome is the roof of the high-integrity steel structure that contains Unit 4’s nuclear reactor, comprising 58 large plates. Setting was completed March 27, following a complex rigging operation.
The placement follows the installation of Unit 4’s nuclear steam supply system — the reactors, reactor coolant pumps, steam generators, pressurizer and associated piping. These are the essential elements of the unit’s nuclear power system, used to generate the steam needed to drive the unit’s turbine generator to produce electricity.
Bechtel completed the construction of Vogtle Units 3 and 4 under the management of Southern Nuclear, the Southern Company subsidiary that operates the existing two units at Plant Vogtle. Vogtle Units 3 and 4 are the first Westinghouse AP1000 units to be built in the U.S. When complete, Plant Vogtle will be the largest generator of carbon-free electricity in the nation.
Bechtel has completed more than 74,000 megawatts of new nuclear generation capacity and has performed engineering and construction services on more than 80 percent of nuclear plants in the United States and 150 plants worldwide.
“This milestone reflects the hard work and dedication of the Vogtle 3 & 4 team as we transition these units closer to operation,” added Reilly.
About Bechtel
Bechtel is a trusted engineering, construction and project management partner to industry and government. Differentiated by the quality of our people and our relentless drive to deliver the most successful outcomes, we align our capabilities to our customers’ objectives to create a lasting positive impact. Since 1898, we have helped customers complete more than 25,000 projects in 160 countries on all seven continents that have created jobs, grown economies, improved the resiliency of the world’s infrastructure, increased access to energy, resources, and vital services, and made the world a safer, cleaner place.
