In 2008, South Carolina Electric and Gas (SCE&G) submitted an application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to build two new nuclear reactors at the Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Generating Station in Fairfield County, South Carolina.
The new units will be 1,100 Megawatt (MW) Westinghouse AP1000 Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs) and would be added to the existing 1,000 MW PWR reactor which began operation in 1982 and won license renewal until 2042 . Upon completion of the two new reactors, the combined V.C. Summer plant will be capable of generation 3,200 MW of emission-free electricity. That is enough electricity to power 2,240,000 homes in South Carolina.
The existing reactor at V.C. Summer is already the largest employer in Fairfield County with over 600 full time employees. Construction of the two new reactors is expected to generate some 3,000 construction jobs and upon completion, the two new units will create about 800 permanent jobs for Fairfield County. With unemployment in South Carolina at 10.7%, these new jobs cannot come soon enough for the state hard hit by recession.
Early phases of construction have already begun on site. To date, over 6.5 million cubic yards or earth has been excavated in early site preparation for the power block area, the circulating water system, and the switch yard area for Unit 2. Work is also underway on fabricating the Reactor Pressure Vessel and the Steam Generators, the largest and heaviest components of the AP1000.
Currently 25 Reactor Operator Training Instructors are currently being trained on the AP1000 systems and a simulator is under construction. The simulator will be a fully functional mock-up of the AP1000 control room which will be used to train the first generation of reactor operators for the two units.
The combined priced tag for the project is $9.8 billion. So far the project is on schedule and under budget, much to the dismay of antinuclear activists who pretend to care for such details (they really don’t but it doesn’t stop them from pretending). Unit 2 is expected to become operational in 2016 with Unit 3 following in 2019.
The last remaining hurdle for the project is to secure a Combine Operating and Construction License from the NRC. The commission has not granted such a license for over 30 years. Currently, the COL is expected in late 2011 to early 2012. Until then site prep and component fabrication will continue.
Image Credit
AP1000 Reactor image courtesy of Westinghouse
21 Comments
Here is a good site about the V C Summer project. I especially like the interactive timeline.
Hey Jack, just for clarification will those be 800 new jobs (in addition to the preexisting 600) or will it merely be 200 new jobs, bringing the total to 800?
That’s 800 additional jobs on top of the 600 or so that are already working there. While there are efficiencies at multi-unit sites, they’ll still need aditional security, engineering, maitenance, rad pro, operators, and everything else for the two new reactors.
Thanks, Jack. Those numbers would certainly represent a nice boon to the local economy.
“The last remaining hurdle for the project is to secure a Combined Operating and Construction License from the NRC. The commission has not granted such a license for over 30 years.”
Strictly speaking, the NRC has never granted such a license. Front-loading the operating license application — before billions of dollars are spent on construction — is a relatively recent innovation in regulation. Hopefully this will prevent another Shoreham debacle.
Technically, the NRC can take away the keys to any plant at any time, weather it was just built or not, so granting an operating license at the time of construction isn’t that big of a regulatory change.
Shoreham was a case of an activist state and judge acting on behest of antinuclear groups. I’m not sure a COL would prevent that. Although I believe a loan guarantee would as it would mean the government would have to pay the price for abandoning reason and catering to activists.
Worse than the Shoreham debacle was the Zimmer catastrophe !
A way over budget, long delayed new nuclear plant, 99% complete was denied an operating license due to poor quality construction. This had as much impact on killing new nuke construction as TMI did.
The finance people saw Zimmer (and TMI) and RAN away from new nukes.
who is the contractor onsite ? can you give give me any info?
Did u find out who the contractors were,I’m looking for a position?
Several points.
I strongly support whatever level of government subsidies it takes to finish Watts Bar 2, Bellefonte 1 and at least four AP-1000′s. And preferably one EPR to avoid future common design faults affecting every new nuke in the future.
I also support a massive “Wind Rush” with associated HV DC transmission and pumped storage (which nukes need as well, see Raccoon Mt & France + Swiss pumped storage, 4 GW & 12 GW).
We (the USA – per Dept. of Energy report) can only build 8 new nukes in the next decade because of a moribund supply chain and almost everyone with nuke building experience is dead or retired. After that restart decade, we can speed up some for another 6 to 8 years (say 10 or 12 new nukes then) and then really get going after 2027 or so. New nukes can, and should be the second wave to “fill the holes’ that renewables cannot.
Georgia had the rate payers subsidize the construction of the new Vogtle nukes. Did South Carolina do the same, or were the large federal subsides (several times wind) enough ?
Based upon the authors comments the nuclear renaissance is a reality in SC. I’ve been in the Nuclear business for 20 years and this is the first I’ve heard of, not 1 but 2, nuclear plant under real construction… fantastic! Kudos to SCE&G and the state of SC for their vision.This is super news. I would love to be involved in an initial plant start-up again. I was a start-up engineer/test director for Seabrook Station back in-the-day. I was also a reactor engineer at Seabrook Station for 15 years. Start-up was the most rewarding and exciting experience of my career. I would love to be involved in a start-up again.Does anybody have any contacts with Westinghouse or SCE&G whom may need a reactor engineer with start-up experience? Please email me if you do. Thanks for the information.
This is great news and the first I’ve heard of, not 1 but 2, nuclear plants actually under construction. Kudos to SCE&G and the state of SC. Fantastic!
I would love to be involved in this project. I was a start-up Test Director at Seabrook Station back in-the-day. I was also a reactor engineer at Seabrook Station for 15 years and Wolf Creek (just after Wolf Creek went commercial). These were the best experiences of my career and I would certainly relish the opportunity to get involved again.
If anybody knows or has any contacts at Westinghouse or SCE&G regarding this project please e-mail me. Thanks.
Sorry about the double post. I left the site and returned and my post wasn’t there so I posted again. Sorry.
Could someone tell me who is the contractor or contractors onsite or tell me about how to apply for a job thanks!
I just got hired to work there.I am a rodbuster. Shaw is the contractor.
Congratulations David! Just curious, what does a rodbust do?
Mitch, I did Startup at Seabrook also.
RodBuster does all the rebar work for concrete.
Shaw is the construction contractor for both VC Summer and Vogtle 3 & 4 is GA.
I would not expect any big boon in hiring until they get their COL. The only work allowed in site preparation and at Vogtle 3 & 4 they have a limited work authorization for safety related activities, but is limited to foundations and backfill (Summer probably has the same LWA). That’s about it. There is pre-fab work going on for some equipment (containment vessel and supports), but none of it can be installed until the COL is issued.
Thank goodness for the COL process. The old process was for a construction permit then a separate operating license. This left the door open for every intervenor you can imagine the block the process for decades. The one step process makes it much simpler. But just because the NRC grants a COL, that doesn’t mean the utility is free to build and go on line. I remember New Hampshire Yankee issued a notice one time, that it could directly attribute 44% of the cost overruns of Seabrook to litigation.
There is some great information on the construction of Vogtle 3 & 4 on the Southern Company website here:
http://www.southerncompany.com/nuclearenergy/vogtle.aspx
It has several narrated videos and lots of pictures and other information. Click the “construction” link on the left of the page.
For those looking to work on Vogtle, there is a Job Opportunities link on the left of the page with links to all the main companies, or use this link to that page:
http://www.southerncompany.com/nuclearenergy/job_opportunities.aspx
Good hunting.
My husband is currently employed on the VC Summer project. I hope to hire in soon. We are very excited to be part of this project.
Does anyone have any info. or web addresses on where to apply for a job on the VC Summer Project? I’m a rookie Millwright, and this is the greatest news I’ve heard in three+ years!! Someone gimmie a lead!! Thanks