Commercial Operation to Begin in 2016
By Stephen Heiser
Westinghouse Electric Company has announced that it and its partner The Shaw Group Inc.'s Power Group have signed an Engineering, Procurement and Construction contract (EPC) with Progress Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Progress Energy, to provide two Westinghouse AP1000(TM) nuclear power units at its Levy County, Florida site.Aris Candris, Westinghouse president and CEO, said the agreement is again proof that nuclear power will play an increasingly important role in the ongoing effort to provide the baseload generation that is necessary to spur economic growth without contributing to global climate change."With this agreement, Progress Energy is again showing itself to be a true energy leader," he said. "In return, Westinghouse and our partner Shaw will work diligently with Progress Energy to build and then operate and maintain these plants in a manner that is in the best interests of all parties." Dr. Candris also pointed out that new nuclear construction has the ability to help reinvigorate local economies. "Once operational, each new AP1000 will require the services of 400 to 500 skilled, full-time employees while creating 1200 indirect jobs," he said. "Additionally, construction of a dual-unit site will require, at peak, the services of about 3000 workers."Dan Lipman, senior vice president of Westinghouse Nuclear Power Plants, said that the contract is also a significant step in helping to rebuild U.S. infrastructure: "Westinghouse is proud to partner with Progress Energy and Shaw in helping to rebuild our nation's infrastructure and sustain economic growth. In addition to generating electricity cleanly and safely, reducing our reliance on foreign imports, the construction of new nuclear power plants will create numerous opportunities for employment. Westinghouse is proud to be part of one of the most important industrial undertakings of this century." In August, Progress Energy Florida submitted a combined construction and operating license (COL) application with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to construct a new nuclear power plant in Levy County, Florida. The licensing process, once completed, gives Progress Energy the option to construct and operate two units at the Levy County site.In addition to the EPC contract with Progress Energy, Westinghouse earlier in 2008 signed two previous EPC contracts: one with Georgia Power to provide two Westinghouse AP1000(TM) nuclear power plants at the Alvin W. Vogtle site near Waynesboro, Ga., and the other with South Carolina Electric & Gas Company (SCE&G), principal subsidiary of SCANA Corporation (NYSE: SCG), and Santee Cooper to provide two Westinghouse AP1000 nuclear power units at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station in Jenkinsville, S.C. Before that, no other contracts to provide new nuclear power plants in the United States had been signed since before 1978.Additionally, the AP1000 has been identified as the new plant technology of choice for eight additional nuclear plants that could be built in the United States. And, in July 2007, Westinghouse and Shaw signed contracts to provide four AP1000s in China, where initial construction is now underway. Westinghouse believes the AP1000 is ideally suited for the worldwide nuclear power marketplace. The AP1000 is:
- Based on standard Westinghouse pressurized water reactor (PWR) technology that has achieved more than 2,500 reactor years of highly successful operation
- An 1100MWe design that is ideal for providing baseload generating capacity
- Modular in design, promoting ready standardization and high construction quality
- Economical to construct and maintain (less concrete and steel and fewer components and systems mean there is less to install, inspect and maintain)
- Designed to promote ease of operation (features most advanced instrumentation and control (I&C) in the industry)