Georgia Power today marked another year of safe construction and significant milestones at the Vogtle nuclear expansion site. The new units are currently scheduled to go into service in June 2019 (Unit 3) and June 2020 (Unit 4) and the remaining projected customer rate impact is approximately 2.5 percent, an average of less than 1 percent per year through completion.

In addition, the company's recent completion of the settlement process between the project co-owners (Georgia Power, Oglethorpe Power Corporation, the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia and Dalton Utilities) and the project's contractors (Westinghouse and CB&I) settles all claims previously in litigation with the contractors, reaffirms the current in-service dates, adds additional contractual protections and positions Westinghouse and its affiliates as the primary contractor over the project.

Safe Construction, Steady Progress 
In 2015, the thousands of workers on the construction site for both units 3 and 4 maintained their dedication to quality construction and safety; logging more than 11 million safe work hours without a lost-time accident for the year. Their collective efforts contributed to the achievement of many construction milestones for the project.

Major milestones:

• Thousands of tons of modular components were placed by one of the world's largest construction cranes throughout 2015:

-        June: Placement of the 32-ton CA04 module, or reactor vessel cavity, for Unit 4.
-        August: The heaviest "lift" of the project to date – the 1,140-ton Unit 3 CA01 module.
-        August: Placement of the first of more than 160 shield building panels for Unit 3.
-        December: Placement of the 950-ton lower ring for Unit 4.

• Consistent, quality welding, rebar, steel and concrete placement take place every day at the Vogtle site and are essential to long-term safety and reliable operation. In 2015, workers:

-        Completed nearly 4 miles of onsite module welding to exact design specifications, with every inch inspected and approved for safety.
-        Installed more than 4,300 tons of rebar.
-        Erected more than 4,200 tons of structural steel.
-        Poured more than 26,000 cubic yards of concrete including the November 15-hour continuous concrete pour for the Unit 3 "turbine tabletop," the first turbine tabletop placement for a U.S. AP1000 new nuclear project.

Other Vogtle milestones include the rising cooling towers, which play a key role in the circulation and cooling of water used in power production. The Unit 3 cooling tower has reached its final, completed height of more than 600 feet and the Unit 4 cooling tower has surpassed the halfway mark.

Along with major component deliveries to the construction site throughout the year, the project also marked significant additional achievements. In November, Georgia Power announced that, with the receipt of the final National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, or water discharge permit by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, all major permits are now in place for the new units.