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Westinghouse, Shaw to Break Ground on Georgia Nuclear Units 3 and 4

Southern Co. has notified the Shaw Group and Westinghouse Electric Co. to proceed fully on their engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract for two new Westinghouse AP1000 reactors planned for an expansion of the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant near Augusta, Ga.—one of the first new U.S. nuclear construction projects in more than three decades.

“This marks a significant milestone not only for Shaw, but for the entire U.S. nuclear industry,” said J.M. Bernhard Jr., chair, president, and CEO of Shaw. “We are poised to break ground on one of the first new U.S. nuclear construction projects in more than 30 years, which will offer the world’s most advanced reactor technology.”

The Georgia Public Service Commission on March 17 authorized Georgia Power Co., a Southern Co. subsidiary, to build the two units. The plant is also owned by Oglethorpe Power, Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia, and Dalton Utilities.

Southern Nuclear had formally applied for an early site permit for the two additional units in Aug. 2006 and submitted an application for a combined construction and operating license to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in March 2008. Georgia Power reached a contract agreement—value undisclosed—with Westinghouse and Shaw for the project last April.

The two companies currently provide EPC services for China’s four-AP1000 nuclear island. Fourteen new AP1000 units, including Vogtle, are planned by U.S. utilities. The contract for the two Vogtle units was essentially Westinghouse Electric’s first contract in the U.S. in 30 years.

Source: Westinghouse Electric, Shaw Group, Southern Co.

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