Georgia Power Co. said Friday its Southern Nuclear division has taken over construction of units 3 and 4 at Plant Vogtle following the bankruptcy of the original builder of the units, the Westinghouse division of Toshiba.
Westinghouse, the developer of the AP1000 nuclear technology being used by the new units, served as the primary contractor with oversight and responsibility for all construction activities at Plant Vogtle. But Westinghouse filed for bankruptcy on March 29 after unexpected costs developed at both Plant Vogtle in Georgia and the VC Summer plant in South Carolina.
“We are already in the midst of a seamless transition for the thousands of workers across the site, allowing us to sustain the progress we are making every day on both units,” said Mark Rauckhorst, executive vice president for the Vogtle 3 and 4 project. “We remain focused on safety and quality as we complete this transition.”
Toshiba Corp. also said Friday it has agreed to pay $2.168 billion to walk away from two other unfinished nuclear reactors Westinghouse designed at the Summer plant in South Carolina. Toshiba reached a similar agreement to pay $3.7 billion in June to Southern Co, and the other owners of Plant Vogtle, including Dalton Utilities.
Under the new structure, hundreds of Georgia Power and Southern Nuclear employees, many of whom are already working on the project, will assume clearly defined project management roles.