ATLANTA, Oct. 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Progress
continues at the Vogtle nuclear expansion site near Waynesboro, Georgia. The latest milestones
achieved over the past week include a critical concrete 'super
placement' for Unit 3 and the lift of the 237-ton CA03 module for
Unit 4.
The 71-hour continuous concrete placement included 1,844 cubic
yards of concrete – enough to create a sidewalk more than six miles
long. New concrete was poured in four key areas of the Unit 3
containment vessel – the refueling cavity, the bottom of the
in-containment refueling water storage tank, the west steam
generator cubicle walls and the pressurizer cubicle
walls.
The 237-ton CA03 module for Unit 4 is a critical component and
part of the In-Containment Refueling Water Storage Tank (IRWST).
The IRWST is a 75,300 cubic foot tank that, once the units are
operational, is filled with borated water and provides passive
heatsink within containment and backup cooling for the reactor
vessel.
Other significant milestones achieved at the Vogtle construction
site over the past 30 days include the placement of the CA33 floor
module for Unit 3. The module, weighing 35 tons, was delivered to
the site from Greenberry Industrial in three sub-modules that were
then welded together on site in the Vogtle Module Assembly
Building. Additionally, workers placed the Vogtle Unit 4 deaerator
inside the turbine building. The 148-foot, 300-ton deaerator
functions like a water purifier, eliminating dissolved gasses such
as carbon dioxide and oxygen from feedwater. Deaeration prevents
corrosion, helping to reduce plant maintenance and operating
costs.
More than 6,000 workers from across the country are on-site at
Plant Vogtle today working to complete the nation's first new
nuclear units in 30 years. New photos of progress at the
construction site are available each month in the Plant Vogtle 3
& 4 Online Photo Gallery.
Vogtle Project Review Underway
Georgia Power
owns 45.7 percent of the new units, with the project's other
Georgia-based co-owners including
Oglethorpe Power, MEAG Power and Dalton Utilities. On August 31, Georgia Power filed a recommendation
with the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) to continue
construction of the Vogtle nuclear expansion supported by all of
the project's other co-owners. The recommendation was based on the
results of a comprehensive schedule, cost-to-complete and
cancellation assessment launched following the bankruptcy of
Westinghouse in March. The Georgia PSC is expected to review the
recommendation and make a decision regarding the future of the
Vogtle 3 and 4 project as part of the 17th Vogtle Construction
Monitoring (VCM) proceeding. Read more here.
From the beginning of the Vogtle expansion, Georgia Power has
worked to minimize the impact of the new units on customer bills.
This effort continues during the Georgia PSC's review of the
recommendation with the company recently announcing a conditional
commitment of approximately $1.67
billion in additional loan guarantees for the project from
the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), as well as receipt of the
first of multiple scheduled parent guarantee payments from Toshiba.
Today, the total expected rate impact of the project remains less
than the original estimate, after including anticipated customer
benefits from federal production tax credits, interest savings from
loan guarantees from the DOE and the fuel savings of nuclear
energy.
Final approval and issuance of these additional loan guarantees
by the DOE cannot be assured and are subject to the negotiation of
definitive agreements, completion of due diligence by the DOE,
receipt of any necessary regulatory approvals, and satisfaction of
other conditions.
About Georgia Power
Georgia Power is the largest
electric subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), America's
premier energy company. Value, Reliability, Customer Service and
Stewardship are the cornerstones of the company's promise to 2.5
million customers in all but four of Georgia's 159 counties. Committed to
delivering clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy at rates
below the national average, Georgia Power maintains a diverse,
innovative generation mix that includes nuclear, coal and natural
gas, as well as renewables such as solar, hydroelectric and wind.
Georgia Power focuses on delivering world-class service to its
customers every day and the company is consistently recognized by
J.D. Power and Associates as an industry leader in customer
satisfaction. For more information, visit www.GeorgiaPower.com and
connect with the company on Facebook (Facebook.com/GeorgiaPower),
Twitter (Twitter.com/GeorgiaPower) and Instagram
(Instagram.com/ga_power).
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking
Statements
Certain information contained in this
communication is forward-looking information based on current
expectations and plans that involve risks and uncertainties.
Forward-looking information includes, among other things,
statements concerning future actions related to Plant Vogtle Units
3 and 4 and the expected benefit of the DOE loan guarantees.
Georgia Power cautions that there are certain factors that could
cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking
information that has been provided. The reader is cautioned not to
put undue reliance on this forward-looking information, which is
not a guarantee of future performance and is subject to a number of
uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside the
control of Georgia Power; accordingly, there can be no assurance
that such suggested results will be realized. The following
factors, in addition to those discussed
in Georgia Power's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
year ended December 31, 2016, and subsequent securities
filings, could cause actual results to differ materially from
management expectations as suggested by such forward-looking
information: the impact of any inability or other failure of
Toshiba to perform its obligations under its guarantee; the impact
of any failure to extend the in-service deadline for federal
production tax credits; the impact of any failure to amend the DOE
loan guarantee to allow for additional borrowings; state and
federal rate regulations and the impact of pending and future rate
cases and negotiations; the impact of recent and future federal and
state regulatory changes, as well as changes in application of
existing laws and regulations; current and future litigation,
regulatory investigations, proceedings, or inquiries; available
sources and costs of fuels; effects of inflation; the ability to
control costs and avoid cost overruns during the development
construction and operation of facilities, which include the
development and construction of generating facilities with designs
that have not been finalized or previously constructed; the ability
to construct facilities in accordance with the requirements of
permits and licenses, to satisfy any environmental performance
standards and the requirements of tax credits and other incentives,
and to integrate facilities into the Southern Company system upon
completion of construction; advances in technology; legal
proceedings and regulatory approvals and actions related to Plant
Vogtle Units 3 and 4, including Georgia Public Service Commission
approvals and Nuclear Regulatory Commission actions; interest rate
fluctuations and financial market conditions and the results of
financing efforts; changes in The Southern Company's or Georgia
Power's credit ratings, including impacts on interest rates, access
to capital markets, and collateral requirements; the impacts of any
sovereign financial issues, including impacts on interest rates,
access to capital markets, impacts on foreign currency exchange
rates, counterparty performance, and the economy in general, as
well as potential impacts on the benefits of DOE loan guarantees;
and the effect of accounting pronouncements issued periodically by
standard setting bodies. Georgia Power expressly disclaims any
obligation to update any forward-looking information.
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SOURCE Georgia Power