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Gennady Detinich
Georgia Power Company informedthat the Westinghouse Project AP1000 reactor at the Vogtle Nuclear Power Plant site in Georgia has launched a self-sustaining nuclear fission reaction. This is the first nuclear reactor built in the United States in 30 years and the first under the AP1000 project. Commissioning of the power unit is expected by May or June of this year after comprehensive tests of the reactor and an increase in load to a nominal value of 1250 MW.
Power unit Vogtle 4. Image Source: Georgia Power
Construction of two AP1000 generation III+ reactors with fully passive safety systems and modular design began in 2013. Soon, difficulties began with the implementation of the project, which eventually forced Toshiba to file for bankruptcy of a Westinghouse subsidiary and look for money so as not to go bankrupt itself. As a consequence of this process, Toshiba’s flash memory business was sold to a consortium of third-party companies.
The completion of the Vogtle 3 reactor was taken up by local companies Southern Nuclear and Georgia Power, with which they coped. Prior to this, four reactors under the AP1000 project were able to be built in China by local companies. Legally, the sale of Westinghouse to Cameco and Brookfield Renewable Partners should close before the end of this year. Toshiba bought Westinghouse in 2006.
Another AP1000 reactor, Vogtle 4, is being built at the Vogtle NPP site. For Westinghouse and its new owners, the continuation of work and the launch of the second module are important in the future. Westinghouse representatives have already entered into a preliminary agreement to build up to six AP1000 reactors in Poland. Similar agreements are being prepared with the authorities of Bulgaria and Ukraine. Moreover, Westinghouse produces fuel assemblies for Ukrainian nuclear power plants, which will open up the possibility for it to supply fuel to existing nuclear power plants built according to Soviet and Russian projects.
Unlike Europe, the United States is not going to give up peaceful nuclear energy and, to the best of its ability, is filling in the gaps made by the previous authorities regarding support for the nuclear industry. The achievement of the Vogtle 3 reactor stage of the first criticality confirms that much has been saved. And by the way, according to rumors, Westinghouse specialists are now helping the French to complete the construction of nuclear reactors in France. The local company EDF, as it turns out in practice, has also lost its competence, but that’s another story.
