Georgia Power said this week that eight more shield building panels have been placed at Unit 3 of the Plant Vogtle expansion near Waynesboro, Georgia.
The company said that with this milestone, the project is more than 60 percent finished, based on milestones in the construction contract. The first six panels were placed at Unit 3 in August 2015.
The Vogtle expansion project consists of the addition of two nuclear reactors to the existing two reactors. The company said once both reactors are up and running, it will be among the top facilities in terms of total generation capacity.
Over the course of 2015, there were significant milestones reached, including placement of the CA01 Module for Unit 3 and the lower ring for Unit 4. Approximately 26,000 cubic yards of concrete have been utilized by the expansion project so far.
Georgia Power shares ownership of the project with Oglethorpe Power Corp., Dalton Utilities and the Municipality Electric Authority of Georgia. Southern Nuclear is currently tasked with overseeing the project. Both Southern Nuclear and Georgia Power are subsidiaries of Southern Company.
Georgia Power said the project should be completed by 2020.