The Vogtle 2 pressurised water reactor in Georgia returned to service on 4 October after completing a record 17-day refuelling and maintenance outage.
The unit was taken offline on Sunday 17 September for routine maintenance, which included installation of a Mark VIe digital controls system for the main turbine generator and associated equipment. The advanced digital controls system was installed at Vogtle 1 during the spring 2017 refuelling outage.
Southern Company, which operates Vogtle 2, said the total outage duration was 17 days 5 hours and 36 minutes – a Southern Nuclear fleet record. Southern currently operates six reactors at three nuclear power plants sites: Farley 1&2, Hatch 1&2 and Vogtle 1&2.
"Safety is our top priority, and our team is to be commended for exceeding the safety and efficiency expectations for this outage and achieving record-breaking milestones," said Darin Myers, site vice president for Vogtle units 1 and 2.
Employees from across the Southern Nuclear fleet as well as nearly 1200 additional workers from Westinghouse, General Electric, Day & Zimmermann, Williams Corporation and other companies assisted during the outage. Vogtle 2 is expected to operate for another 18 months before schedule maintenance.
