Georgia Power announced Monday the completion of another major milestone in the construction of Plant Vogtle units 3 and 4 near Waynesboro, Ga. On Saturday, the project team successfully placed the CA20 module into the Unit 3 nuclear island. Weighing more than 2.2 million pounds, or 1,100 tons, and towering more than five stories tall, the module is the heaviest "lift" of the project to date. With a footprint of approximately 67 feet long by 47 feet wide, the critical module will house various plant components, including the used fuel storage area.

Including assembly activities at both CB&I's Lake Charles facility and onsite at Plant Vogtle, the module was assembled from prefabricated wall and floor sections and transported to the site by rail and truck for placement.  It was lifted into place using a 560-foot tall heavy lift derrick, one of the largest cranes in the world.

Visible progress continues to be evident for both units 3 and 4, which use Westinghouse's state-of-the-art AP1000® technology and are among the first new nuclear units to be built in the United States in 30 years.  Since Jan. 1, the project has marked several other major milestones including the February placement of the 460-ton CR10 module (or cradle) into the Unit 4 nuclear island. The CR10 module, which resembles a concave bowl with a hollow center, is the structure upon which the unit's containment vessel bottom head (CVBH) will rest.

The Vogtle 3 and 4 expansion is part of Georgia Power's long-term, strategic plan for providing safe, clean, reliable and affordable energy for Georgians over the next 60 years. On Feb. 28, the Company filed the combined 9th and 10th Vogtle Construction Monitoring (VCM) Report with the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) which reports that the construction of the new units is progressing well with both units scheduled to begin commercial operation by the end of 2018. The report also recapped 2013 project milestones including the placement of nuclear concrete for both units 3 and 4 and the placement of the CVBH and reactor vessel cavity (CA04) for Unit 3. Once the units enter service, fuel efficiencies from nuclear generation combined with ongoing customer benefits such as the recently finalized federal loan guarantees, are expected to put downward pressure on customer rates – cementing the project's status as the most economic choice for meeting Georgia's future energy needs.