The order for fuel load follows the completion of the placement of three low-pressure turbine rotors and a generator rotor inside the unit 3 turbine building

Georgia Power Vogtle Unit 3

Image: The Vogtle nuclear power plant is comprised of 157 fuel assemblies. Photo: Courtesy of PRNewsfoto/Georgia Power.

US-based electric utility company Georgia Power has ordered the first nuclear fuel load for Unit 3 of Vogtle nuclear expansion near Waynesboro, Georgia.

The present order marks the first nuclear fuel order placed in more than 30 years for the newly-designed Vogtle reactor.

Consisting of 157 fuel assemblies with each measuring 14 feet tall, the fuel will be loaded into the unit 3 reactor vessel to support startup once the reactor starts operations.

Similar to the existing Vogtle units 1 and 2, approximately one third of the total fuel assemblies are designed to be replaced during each refueling outage once the units start operations.

The fuel order for Vogtle unit 3 has been placed just months after the placement of the containment vessel top, witnessed by US government officials, Congress members and Georgia Public Service Commission members.

In addition, the company has completed the placement of three low-pressure turbine rotors and a generator rotor inside the unit 3 turbine building. The turbine rotors weigh approximately 200 tonnes each and rotate at 1,800 revolutions per minute.

The rotors are designed to pass steam through the turbine blades and power the generator to supply electricity to the grid. The high-pressure turbine rotor is expected to be installed in a few weeks.

Georgia Power said: “The generator rotor is the moving component of the electromagnetic system of the electric generator. As the turbines rotate, they turn the generator rotor. The generator rotor is surrounded by the generator stator that work together creating an electromagnetic field to generate electricity.”

The company said that considerable progress continues to be made at the construction site and the project workforce stands at an all-time high, with approximately 8,000 workers on site.

Furthermore, Vogtle 3 & 4 currently marks the biggest jobs-producing construction project in the state of Georgia, with more than 800 permanent jobs available, once the units start operations.