Achievement Marks Major Milestone for Second AP1000® Reactor in the U.S.
CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa., Feb. 14, 2024 – Westinghouse Electric Company today congratulated Southern Company, Georgia Power, project partners and the Vogtle team for achieving the initial criticality of self-sustaining nuclear fission at Unit 4. Plant Vogtle, located near Waynesboro, Georgia, is the site of the first two AP1000® reactors built in the U.S.
Plant Vogtle Unit 4 in Georgia has reached initial criticality. Photo © Georgia Power Company. All Rights Reserved.
“We applaud the efforts and dedication of the Vogtle team as they continue working toward bringing Unit 4 online to deliver safe, reliable, competitive and clean energy for customers,” said Patrick Fragman, Westinghouse President and CEO.
The next major milestone for Unit 4 is synchronizing to the electric grid, followed by full commercial operation, which is projected during the second quarter of 2024.
The two AP1000 units at Plant Vogtle are the most advanced, demonstrated Generation III+ reactors commercially available today, with fully passive safety systems, modular construction design and the smallest footprint per MWe on the market. Previously deployed AP1000 technology offers superior economic performance with availability and capacity factors greater than 92%. The Vogtle units are the first new reactors to be constructed in the U.S. in three decades, with Unit 3 entering commercial operation in July 2023 and now producing power for the grid.
In addition to the two reactors at the Vogtle site, four AP1000 units are currently setting operational performance records in China with eight additional reactors under construction. Poland selected the AP1000 reactor for its nuclear energy program; Ukraine has made firm commitments for nine AP1000 units, and Westinghouse previously announced that Bulgaria selected the AP1000 technology for two units at the Kozloduy nuclear site. The technology is also under consideration at multiple other sites in Central and Eastern Europe, the United Kingdom, India and in North America.
