Milestone reaffirms importance of nuclear energy in U.S., opportunity for partnership
WAYNESBORO, Ga., April 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Today, Bechtel, the engineering, procurement, and construction company under contract to help complete construction on Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 in Waynesboro, Georgia, congratulates Georgia Power and Southern Nuclear on achieving commercial operations for Unit 4.
Reflecting on today’s milestone, Brendan Bechtel, chairman and CEO of Bechtel, shared the following:
“According to the World Nuclear Association, about 30 countries are considering, planning, or starting nuclear power programs, and 20 more have signaled an interest. At the recent Nuclear Energy Summit in Brussels last month, 32 world leaders confirmed their COP 28 climate commitments to triple their nuclear capacity by 2050 in recognition of the technology’s essential role in cutting carbon emissions to near zero. The U.S. should aim for a thriving nuclear industry that provides a competitive alternative for nations in the global market.”
“Plant Vogtle is already moving us in the right direction. It has begun rebuilding the United States’ muscle memory in nuclear construction, including reestablishing critical supply chains. Designing and building a nuclear power plant requires extreme precision, with safety and performance criteria far exceeding those in other types of construction. Bechtel, which was hired in 2017 to help complete Vogtle Units 3 and 4, partnered with North America’s Building Trades Unions to assemble a team that peaked at over 9,000 workers. This workforce gained specialized skills and hands-on experience transferable to future projects.”
Today’s milestone also represents an inflection point for the future of the U.S. nuclear industry, Bechtel said.
“Continuing to grow America’s civilian nuclear sector, including investments in both established and next-generation reactor technology, can reestablish the U.S. as the responsible partner of choice for new nuclear energy in the decades ahead. The accomplishment this week at Vogtle brings us closer to that goal.”
Brendan Bechtel’s complete comments are available in a post on www.bechtel.com.
Background
In 2017, Bechtel was brought in by Georgia Power and Southern Nuclear to help bring Vogtle Units 3 and 4 online. With this milestone, Plant Vogtle is the largest generator of clean energy anywhere in the U.S. with each of the new units capable of generating enough electricity to power an estimated 500,000 homes and businesses.
Bechtel has completed more than 76,000 megawatts of new nuclear generation capacity and has designed, built, or performed engineering and/or construction services on more than 80% of nuclear plants in the United States. Today, the company leads efforts in designing and constructing advanced nuclear plants critical to global efforts to achieve net-zero carbon emissions.
Learn more about how Bechtel is helping customers around the world increase energy security and efficiency through next-generation energy sources: https://impact.bechtel.com/powered/
About Bechtel
Bechtel is a trusted engineering, construction, and project management partner to industry and government. Differentiated by the quality of our people and our relentless drive to deliver the most successful outcomes, we align our capabilities to our customers’ objectives to create a lasting positive impact. Since 1898, we have helped customers complete more than 25,000 projects in 160 countries on all seven continents that have created jobs, grown economies, improved the resiliency of the world’s infrastructure, increased access to energy, resources, and vital services, and made the world a safer, cleaner place.
Bechtel serves the Energy; Infrastructure; Manufacturing & Technology; Mining & Metals; and Nuclear, Security, & Environmental markets. Our services span from initial planning and investment, through start-up and operations. www.bechtel.com
Contact: Amanda Meixel | [email protected] | P: (706) 360-5526
SOURCE Bechtel
