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Press Release: SCE&G Completes First Nuclear Concrete Placement

By Eric McErlain

Just received the following from SCE&G:
SCE&G Completes First Nuclear Concrete Placement

CAYCE, S.C., March 11, 2013—South Carolina Electric & Gas Company (SCE&G), principal subsidiary of SCANA Corporation (NYSE:SCG), completed on March 11, 2013, placement of the nuclear island basemat for V.C. Summer Unit 2 in Fairfield County, S.C. This major milestone is the first new construction nuclear concrete to be poured in the U.S. in three decades.

“This is an exciting achievement for SCE&G, Santee Cooper, CB&I, Westinghouse Electric Company, and others who support our new nuclear project,” said Kevin Marsh, chairman and CEO of SCANA. “We recognize the significance of this event and appreciate the strong commitment to safety and collaboration demonstrated by all involved in reaching this milestone.”

Lonnie Carter, president and CEO of Santee Cooper, which co-owns V.C. Summer, said, ”This is a tremendous day for South Carolina as we work with SCANA to deliver new nuclear generation that will help ensure reliable, affordable electricity for decades to come. We’ve come to this point through the diligent and conscientious attention to task by everyone involved, from our crews to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.”

The basemat provides a foundation for the containment and auxiliary buildings that are within the nuclear island. Measuring 6 feet in thickness, the basemat required approximately 7,000 cubic yards of concrete to cover an area about 250 feet long and 160 feet at its widest section. Completed about 10 a.m. today, this 51.5-hour continuous pour of concrete covered a surface totaling 32,000 square feet.

About 1,550 workers are currently involved in constructing two new reactors at V.C. Summer, where Unit 1 has operated safely and reliably for 30 years. The new nuclear project will peak at about 3,000 workers over the course of three to four years. The two 1,117-megawatt units will add 600 to 800 permanent jobs and bring SCE&G’s portfolio to 60 percent non-emitting sources when they start generating electricity in 2017 and 2018, respectively.
What great news. Congratulations to everyone at VC Summer and Westinghouse on reaching such an important milestone. More news as it develops.
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Comments

Anonymous said…
More up to date pictures can be seen in SCANAs presentations such as the one linked below. While Vogtle has been getting all the spotlight when it comes to AP1000 construction they always seem to be a step behind VC Summer when it comes to actually getting their plant built. I think the issue thus far is that Vogtle is built on clay and VC Summer is on bedrock which means they don't have to worry about the basemat settling which has caused Vogtle much grief.

http://www.scana.com/NR/rdonlyres/F3FFF024-CD9F-4171-84E2-A4C0382DC589/0/Q412EarningsPresentationFINAL.pdf
March 11, 2013 at 5:22 PM
Anonymous said…
Additionally I notice that SCEG has uploaded new pictures of the concrete pour to their flikr account. See below.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/scegnews/
March 11, 2013 at 5:29 PM
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