SCE&G Places Containment Vessel Bottom Head on V.C. Summer Unit 3 Basemat
May 22, 2014
CAYCE, SC – South Carolina Electric & Gas Company (SCE&G), principal subsidiary of SCANA Corporation (NYSE:SCG), and its partners placed on May 21, 2014, the containment vessel bottom head (CVBH) on the basemat of V.C. Summer Unit 3. The approximately 900-ton CVBH was lifted into place with the Heavy Lift Derrick, which is one of the world’s largest cranes.
Consisting of nearly 2-inch-thick carbon steel, the CVBH forms the base of the Unit 3 containment vessel and is approximately 40 feet tall and 130 feet wide. The CVBH is the first of five sections comprising the robust structure that will house the reactor vessel and other plant safety systems. Three rings, each fabricated with multiple levels of steel plates, will follow. The containment vessel will then be capped with the top head. When complete, the containment vessel will weigh about 4,000 tons and stand more than 200 feet with a 130 foot-diameter.
“Placement of the Unit 3 containment vessel bottom head is one of many examples of progress occurring daily on our nuclear construction site,” said Kevin Marsh, SCANA chairman and CEO. “We successfully placed the Unit 2 bottom head in May 2013, and it’s equally exciting to see the same success with Unit 3 just a year later.”
Lonnie Carter, president and CEO of Santee Cooper, partner in the project, said, “We are now far enough into this project that we are seeing a steady march of progress toward new nuclear power for South Carolina. I’d like to congratulate the folks who are working hard on site for accomplishing another key milestone.”
About 2,500 Chicago Bridge & Iron and Westinghouse personnel and subcontractor personnel are currently involved in constructing two new reactors at V.C. Summer in Fairfield County, S.C,
where Unit 1 has operated safely and reliably for more than 30 years. The new nuclear project should peak at about 3,000-3,500 workers during certain points of construction. The two 1,117-megawatt AP1000 units will add 600 to 800 permanent jobs when operational. Once the two units are complete, SCE&G anticipates its generation mix will be about 30 percent nuclear, 30 percent natural gas, and 30 percent scrubbed coal, with the balance in hydro, solar and biomass.
Visit SCE&G on Flickr for nuclear construction photos. Browse the SCE&G library of nuclear development videos on YouTube.
SCANA and SCE&G post information from time to time regarding developments relating to SCE&G’s new nuclear project at www.scana.com. On SCANA’s homepage, there is a yellow box containing a link to the New Nuclear Development section, which contains a yellow box with a link to project news and updates. Some of the information may be deemed material information that has not otherwise become public. Investors, media and others interested in SCE&G’s new nuclear project are encouraged to review this information.
PROFILE
South Carolina Electric & Gas Company is a regulated public utility engaged in the generation, transmission, distribution and sale of electricity to approximately 681,000 customers in 24 counties in the central, southern and southwestern portions of South Carolina. The company also provides natural gas service to approximately 332,000 customers in 38 counties in the state. More information about SCE&G is available at www.sceg.com.
SCANA Corporation, headquartered in Cayce, S.C., is an energy-based holding company principally engaged, through subsidiaries, in electric and natural gas utility operations and other energy-related businesses. The Company serves approximately 681,000 electric customers in South Carolina and more than 1.3 million natural gas customers in South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia. Information about SCANA and its businesses is available at www.scana.com.
