The Reactor Coolant Pump (RCP) 502 for Vogtle Unit 3 arrived safely on site last week, after arriving by truck from Curtiss Wright Corporation in Cheswick PA. The pump weighs 187-tons or 375,000 pounds and is a critical component of the AP1000 design as it circulates hot primary-circuit water within the reactor.  Each of the two new units will have four installed reactor coolant pumps.

While eight China pumps have been shipped so far and some are being used for testing the Sanmen and Haiyang units, this is only the second domestic AP1000 RCP to be delivered.  The first was delivered in April of this year.