The week after all Vogtle co-owners vote to move forward on the 3&4 expansion project, Georgia Power announces that in the past few days the first of four reactor coolant pumps (RCPs) was placed in the Unit 3 containment vessel where the nuclear components are housed. The RCPs will be mounted to the steam generator and circulate water from that to the reactor vessel for heat transfer.

Crews also placed shield building panels around the outside of the Unit 3 containment. The shield building, made of streel and concrete, provides structural support to the containment cooling water supply and protects the containment vessel which houses the reactor vessel and other equipment.