The Shaw Group Incorporated have announced that they have been awarded an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract by Georgia Power Company for two Westinghouse AP1000 nuclear power units and related facilities.

Chairman, president and CEO, J.M. Bernhard, said:

“Nuclear energy is vital for the future of our nation’s electricity supply system as the demand for clean, reliable and cost-effective power continues to soar. We applaud Georgia Power for its leadership role in choosing new nuclear power and the world’s most advanced reactor technology as part of its balanced supply portfolio approach to meeting future electricity needs.”

The announcement goes on to say that the two AP1000 units are expected to be placed in service in 2016 and 2017, respectively. A timeframe of eight to nine years’ appears achievable to us, we do tend to become a little suspicious when a contractor puts in a ‘fast track’ programme to complete the project in record-breaking time. However, we would also draw your attention to the wording EPC, which as we read it takes the project to the end of the construction phase. Beyond construction there is also a commissioning phase, which could add another year or so to the timescale, unless this activity has been included within the construction period, which is not clear to us at the moment.

Each of these units has a generating capacity of 1,100 megawatts and would be constructed at the existing Vogtle Electric Generating Plant site near Augusta. This project is being undertaken with Westinghouse a relationship that goes back to the design and construction of America’s first commercial nuclear power plant at Shippingport, Pa., which began operation in 1957.

This is great news for uranium bugs so lets hope that more organisations and governments see the light and become proactive and face up to the future demands for energy which are not about subside.

In an internal note to employees the company had this to say:

“Without a doubt, this contract is the most significant milestone in the rebirth of nuclear power plant construction in the United States. Following our recent agreements with South Carolina Electric & Gas and Progress Energy to move toward the finalization of similar EPC contracts, today’s announcement is a clear signal that the long-awaited nuclear renaissance is finally underway in the United States. It has been a long journey, but our ultimate destination is now in sight”

Please note ‘nuclear renaissance is finally underway’.

And about time Too!

Have a great day.

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