Westinghouse Electric Company today congratulates Southern Nuclear Company, Georgia Power and other project partners for completing hot functional testing at Plant Vogtle Unit 4. The testing was completed in significantly less time than it took for Unit 3, demonstrating the benefits of the AP1000 reactor’s Nth-of-a-kind status.

Vogtle’s Unit 4 will be the sixth AP1000 reactor to reach commercial operation worldwide, which is projected to occur in late fourth quarter 2023 or the first quarter 2024. Vogtle’s Unit 3 began generating electricity and synced to the grid on April 1, with the in-service date for the unit projected during May or June 2023.

“We are seeing the efficiencies gained from fleet construction of the AP1000 reactor right before our eyes,” said David Durham, Energy Systems President, Westinghouse. “This outstanding performance by the team, completed safely and with quality, sets them up for success on the next phases of the project, including initial fuel load.”

The AP1000 units nearing completion at Plant Vogtle are Generation III+ pressurized water reactors with fully passive safety systems, modular construction design and have the smallest footprint per MWe on the market. Located near Waynesboro, GA, Plant Vogtle is the site of the first two AP1000 reactors to be built in the U.S.

Four AP1000 units are currently setting operational performance records in China with six additional reactors under construction. Poland recently selected the AP1000 reactor for its nuclear energy program and nine units have been announced for Ukraine. The technology is under consideration at multiple other sites in Central and Eastern Europe, the United Kingdom, India, and in the United States.