Georgia Power announced multiple recent milestones for Unit 3 at the Vogtle nuclear expansion project near Waynesboro, Georgia.

On Sunday, workers placed the passive residual heat removal heat exchanger inside the Unit 3 containment vessel. The PRHR heat exchanger is a key feature of the AP1000 reactor's passive core cooling system which is part of the larger AP1000 passive safety system. Earlier in the week, workers at the site also placed the CA55 module, weighing approximately 170,000 pounds. The CA55 module is the first roof module for the in-containment refueling water storage tank, and will be where the integrated head package is placed during a refueling outage once the unit begins operating.  

Georgia Power has also released the latest Vogtle Timeline video highlighting safety, progress and efficiency at the Vogtle site for the first quarter of 2018. More than 6,000 workers are currently onsite, focused on increased productivity and safe, high-quality construction.

Available on Georgia Power's YouTube Channel, the new Vogtle Timeline video includes:

• Significant progress and construction milestones reached since January including the placement of the 306-ton Unit 4 reactor vessel.

• Lower costs for the project and benefits for Georgia Power customers due to changes in federal tax laws and full receipt of the Toshiba parent guarantee payments.

• A continued commitment to the community by workers at Plant Vogtle including volunteer events for the MLK Day of Service in February and a special partnership with the United Way.

• A behind-the-scenes look at the Vogtle Emergency Response Team, a 70-member team trained as first responders for workplace emergencies and injuries to site personnel.

Savings & Benefits for Customers
From the beginning of the Vogtle expansion, Georgia Power has worked with the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) to pursue all available benefits for customers and minimize the impact of the new units on electric bills. The company's 18^th Vogtle Construction Monitoring Report noted a revised, lower projected rate impact for customers of 9.8 percent with approximately half of this impact already in place on bills. This projected rate impact is well below original projections of approximately 12 percent thanks to new federal tax laws, anticipated customer benefits from federal production tax credits, interest savings from loan guarantees from the U.S. Department of Energy, and the fuel savings of nuclear energy.

Additionally, the first of three $25 credits for the Vogtle nuclear expansion were applied to Georgia Power customers' bills this month. $75 in total 2018 bill credits, or $188 million overall, were approved by the Georgia PSC as part of its order to continue construction of Vogtle 3 & 4 in December 2017. The credits are a direct result of parent guarantee payments for the project from Toshiba available due to the strength of the original contract for the project and protections in place for Georgia electric customers. Click here to read more.