Georgia Power Announces Resequencing of Vogtle Units 3 & 4 Planned Activities

Rhea-AI Summary

Georgia Power announced a resequencing of activities for Plant Vogtle Units 3 & 4 due to COVID-19 impacts and construction productivity challenges. For Unit 3, structural integrity testing will now precede cold hydro testing, which has been delayed to fall 2020. The company aims for a fuel load in 2020, although it's not mandatory until 2021. Current in-service dates remain set for November 2021 and 2022 for Units 3 & 4, respectively. Major milestones achieved include the placement of critical safety modules and completion of testing operations.

Positive

• Completion of significant milestones such as the final module placement for Unit 3 and successful open vessel testing.
• Continued progress on an aggressive site work plan to meet regulatory-approved in-service dates.

Negative

• Delays in cold hydro testing for Unit 3, pushed from July to fall 2020.
• Ongoing challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which may impact construction timelines and productivity.

ATLANTA, June 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Georgia Power today announced a resequencing of certain planned activities at Plant Vogtle Units 3 & 4.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Georgia Power and Southern Nuclear have made significant adjustments to work practices at the project site, designed to protect the health and safety of the project workforce while maintaining productivity. These adjustments, along with continued challenges in electrical construction productivity, have required work to be performed differently, necessitating a resequencing of activities. 

As a result, for Unit 3, the planned timing of the structural integrity test and integrated leak rate testing will occur before cold hydro testing, and the planned timing for start of cold hydro testing has been moved from July to the fall of 2020. The company continues to work toward fuel load occurring in 2020; however, this milestone is not required to be achieved until later in 2021 to support the regulatory-approved in-service dates.

"Georgia Power and Southern Nuclear are continuing to employ an aggressive site work plan as part of a strategy to maintain margin to the regulatory-approved in-service dates and the resequencing of these activities reflects our efforts," said Glen Chick, Executive Vice President of Vogtle 3 & 4 Construction. "The project team continues to accomplish major milestones despite the ongoing pandemic, while keeping safety and quality our top priority."

The current regulatory-approved in-service dates remain November 2021 and November 2022 for Units 3 & 4, respectively.

2020 Milestones Achieved

• Placement of the final module for Unit 3 – The water tank that sits atop the containment vessel and shield building roof, known as module CB-20, is a major part of the AP1000 reactor's advanced safety system and will hold approximately 750,000 gallons of water ready to flow down in the unlikely event of an emergency to help cool the reactor.
• Placement of the Unit 3 integrated head package (IHP) atop the reactor vessel - Standing 48 feet tall, weighing 475,000 pounds and containing more than three miles of electrical cables, the IHP will eventually be used by highly-trained nuclear operators to monitor and control the nuclear reaction that will occur inside the Unit 3 reactor vessel.
• Completion of Open Vessel Testing for Unit 3 - This successfully demonstrated how water flows from the key safety systems into the reactor vessel ensuring the paths are not blocked or constricted, and confirmed the pumps, motors, valves, pipes and other components of the systems function as designed.
• Placement of the polar crane and containment vessel top for Unit 4 – This signifies that all major lifts inside the containment vessels for both units are now complete.

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 2.6 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 release is forward-looking information based on current expectations and plans that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking information includes, among other things, statements concerning the expected schedule for completion of construction and startup of Plant Vogtle units 3 and 4 and related activities. Georgia Power cautions that there are certain factors that can 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, 2019, Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2020 and subsequent securities filings, could cause actual results to differ materially from management expectations as suggested by such forward-looking information: the continued  effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, including extended disruptions to supply chains and further reduced labor availability and productivity, which could have a variety of adverse impacts, including a negative impact on the ability to develop, construct, and operate facilities, including, but not limited to, Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4; the ability to control costs and avoid cost and schedule overruns during the development, construction, and operation of facilities or other projects, including Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4, which includes components based on new technology that only within the last few years began initial operation in the global nuclear industry at this scale, and including changes in labor costs, availability and productivity, challenges with management of contractors or vendors, subcontractor performance, adverse weather conditions, shortages, delays, increased costs, or inconsistent quality of equipment, materials, and labor, contractor or supplier delay, delays due to judicial or regulatory action, nonperformance under construction, operating, or other agreements, operational readiness, including specialized operator training and required site safety programs, engineering or design problems, design and other licensing-based compliance matters, including, for nuclear units, the timely submittal by Southern Nuclear of the Inspections, Tests, Analyses, and Acceptance Criteria documentation for each unit and the related reviews and approvals by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission ("NRC") necessary to support NRC authorization to load fuel, challenges with start-up activities, including major equipment failure, system integration or regional transmission upgrades, and/or operational performance; the ability to overcome or mitigate the current challenges at Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4, including, but not limited to, those related to COVID-19, that could impact the cost and schedule for the project; legal proceedings and regulatory approvals and actions related to construction projects, such as Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 and pipeline projects, including Public Service Commission approvals and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and NRC actions; under certain specified circumstances, a decision by holders of more than 10% of the ownership interests of Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 not to proceed with construction and the ability of other Vogtle owners to tender a portion of their ownership interests to Georgia Power following certain construction cost increases; the ability to construct facilities in accordance with the requirements of permits and licenses (including satisfaction of NRC requirements), 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; the inherent risks involved in operating and constructing nuclear generating facilities; the ability of counterparties of Georgia Power to make payments as and when due and to perform as required; the direct or indirect effect on Georgia Power's business resulting from cyber intrusion or physical attack and the threat of physical attacks; catastrophic events such as fires, earthquakes, explosions, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes and other storms, droughts, pandemic health events or other similar occurrences; and the direct or indirect effects on Georgia Power's business resulting from incidents affecting the U.S. electric grid, natural gas pipeline infrastructure, or operation of generating or storage resources. Georgia Power expressly disclaims any obligation to update any forward–looking information.

 

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SOURCE Georgia Power

FAQ

What changes were announced for Plant Vogtle Units 3 & 4 on June 23, 2020?

Georgia Power announced a resequencing of planned activities at Plant Vogtle Units 3 & 4, affecting timelines for testing and construction due to COVID-19.

When is the cold hydro testing scheduled for Unit 3 of Plant Vogtle?

Cold hydro testing for Unit 3 has been rescheduled from July to fall 2020.

What are the current regulatory-approved in-service dates for Plant Vogtle Units 3 & 4?

The regulatory-approved in-service dates remain November 2021 for Unit 3 and November 2022 for Unit 4.

What major milestones have been achieved at Plant Vogtle in 2020?

Key milestones include the placement of the final module for Unit 3 and the completion of open vessel testing.

How has COVID-19 impacted the construction of Plant Vogtle Units 3 & 4?

COVID-19 has led to adjustments in work practices and construction productivity challenges, necessitating changes in planned activities.