The two-million-pound roof of the Vogtle Unit 3 shield building has been set into place at Georgia Power’s nuclear expansion project near Waynesboro, Georgia. The shield building is a unique feature of the AP1000 reactor design for Vogtle 3 & 4, providing an additional layer of safety around the containment vessel and nuclear reactor to protect the structure from any potential impacts.
The shield building roof measures 135 feet in diameter, 37 feet tall and weighs more than two fully-loaded jumbo jets. This placement follows the setting of the Unit 3 containment vessel top from earlier this year.
In addition, another important milestone has been achieved with the completion of the first emergency preparedness drill for the Vogtle 3 & 4 new nuclear units, which includes a comprehensive review of the site’s plans to ensure the protection of the public. The emergency preparedness plan specifies the response actions if the site were ever to experience an incident. The first drill helps prepare teams ahead of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) evaluated exercise next year and marks the continued transition from construction toward operations.
Vogtle 3 & 4 is currently the largest jobs-producing construction project in the state of Georgia, with more than 8,000 workers currently on site, and more than 800 jobs available once the units begin operating.
