Last week Georgia Power announced the installation of a nuclear reactor vessel inside Plant Vogtle’s Unit 4, the second of the two reactors currently under construction at the plant.
The 35-foot tall reactor vessel is essentially the heart of the nuclear unit, generating heat via the nuclear fission process to create the steam that actually produces electricity. Its installation is another major milestone for the project, which has been reinvigorated following a vote of confidence from the Georgia Public Service Commission earlier this year. That drama came after the contractor in charge of construction, Toshiba-owned Westinghouse Electric Co., went bankrupt earlier in 2017, tanking a similar nuclear project in South Carolina.
Luckily for Georgians construction at Plant Vogtle is chugging along, with good news for Georgia Power customers coming in the form of $1 billion in tax credits secured in large part by Senator Johnny Isakson, as well as findings filed with the Nuclear Construction Cost Recovery (NCCR) indicating customers will pay $139 million less than originally expected for the construction.
You can see a time lapse of the reactor’s installation below – the scale of the project is a sight to behold.
