Vogtle teams recently placed two key safety-related modules, CA03 and CA02 for Vogtle Unit 3. CA03, weighing 474,000 pounds (215 metric tons), was successfully placed as well as CA02, weighing 104,000 pounds (47 metric tons).

“The modules are critical parts of the plant’s passive safety system, providing an enhanced level of safety and security that only the AP1000 design offers,” said Jeff Benjamin, senior vice president, New Plants and Major Projects.

Along with the previously set CA01 module these modules will make up the in-containment refueling water storage tank (IRWST) in the Vogtle Unit 3 containment building. The IRWST will hold more than 500,000 gallons (1,892,706 liters) of borated water and is a design feature of the AP1000 plant’s passive safety system that automatically releases water into the containment area to keep the reactor core cool and safe in the event of an unplanned shutdown.

“The successful placements of the CA03 and CA02 demonstrate how our team, along with Fluor, is leveraging best practices from other AP1000 plant projects to successfully accomplish construction milestones at Vogtle,” said John Crenshaw, vice president, Vogtle Project. “This further instills our customer’s confidence in our construction and delivery certainty for the Vogtle project.”