Georgia Power has taken delivery of nuclear fuel for Vogtle unit 3. Construction of the AP1000 - one of two being built at the site near Waynesboro - is now about 96% complete. Fuel loading is expected in April, the company said.
The first fuel for Vogtle 3 has been delivered (Image: Georgia Power)
Before the fuel could be received, critical infrastructure, including Vogtle 3's fuel vault and used fuel pool, had to be completed and inspected to ensure they met construction quality and design requirements. The fuel handling area has now been passed from site construction to operations, and specific and comprehensive policies, procedures and security measures have been implemented to safely receive, handle and store the nuclear fuel, the company said.
The focus now moves to hot functional testing of unit 3. Cold functional tests were completed in October.
Construction of Vogtle unit 3 began in March 2013 and unit 4 in November the same year. Unit 3 is expected to be in service by November 2021 and unit 4 by November 2022.
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