Kevin Boozer
Staff writer
JENKINSVILLE — Delays in construction and shipment of sub-module components for reactors 2 and 3 at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Plant have resulted in the projected times for reactors to come online to be extended.
Unit Two’s completion date will be delayed until late 2017 or early 2018, and Unit 3’s projected completion will be delayed along a similar time frame.
That outcome resulted from a June meeting of SCANA and a security firm that assessed the situation. The new reactors are constructed using modules and sub-module concrete structures. There have been delays in fabrication and delivery of the sub-modules, issues SCANA has requested be reviewed by the consortium of Chicago Bridge & Iron and Westinghouse Company which is constructing two new nuclear generation units at V.C. Summer Nuclear Station.
Rhonda O’Banion with SCANA public affairs said SCANA requested the new CB&I leadership review the impact of issues at its module facility in Lake Charles, La., and provide a schedule in which CB&I has confidence.
“The consortium has preliminarily indicated that the substantial completion of Unit 2 is expected to be delayed until late 2017 or the first quarter of 2018 and that substantial completion of Unit 3 is expected to be similarly delayed,” O’Banion said. “While SCANA does not have a specific in-service date, the company is confident this new range for Unit 2 and Unit 3 is within the 18-month construction contingency allowed by the Public Service Commission of South Carolina.”
The previous dates for completion were March 2017 for Unit 2 and May 2018 for Unit 3.
SCANA was unsure at this point how delays might affect construction costs.
“It is difficult to predict the extent to which the issues with the sub-modules or the delays in the substantial completion of the new units will result in increased project costs,” she said. “The costs associated with SCANA’s portion of such delays is preliminarily estimated to be approximately $200 million.”
O’Banion said SCANA is working with the consortium to refine these estimates and determine who is responsible for increased costs.
She noted that a project of this size could experience delays for a variety of reasons, but that the first and foremost goal on site is safety during the construction phase and during the reactors’ operational phases.
The reactor construction site currently employs about 1,600 people, a number that should increase to approximately 3,000 to 3,500 at the peak of construction. SCANA said about 800 full-time employees will be there once construction is complete.
Currently, about 800 workers are employed at V.C. Summer Unit 1, which has been safely operating for 30 years. State-owned utility Santee Cooper has a 45 percent ownership of the two new reactors under construction.
The June webcast explaining this issue in more detail may be viewed at the Investor Relations section at www.scana.com/webcast through June 19.
Reach Kevin Boozer at 635-4016 ext. 14 or kboozer@civitasmedia.com.
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