All major lifts inside both containment vessels are complete

WASHINGTON – March 28, 2020 – North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU) members commend Southern Company on their recent announcement of reaching another major milestone at Georgia Power’s Vogtle 3 & 4 project. The final major lifts inside the containment vessels for the project are now complete following the placement of the Unit 4 containment vessel top head. Placement of the Unit 4 top head is a culmination of the hard work and dedication of the Vogtle 3 & 4 team.

The containment vessel is a high-integrity steel structure that houses critical plant components. Prior to lifting the containment vessel top head, workers successfully completed the placement of the 300-ton polar crane inside the Unit 4 containment vessel.

Vogtle 3 & 4 is currently the largest jobs-producing construction project in the state of Georgia, with more than 9,000 workers currently on site, and more than 800 permanent jobs available once the units begin operating. North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU) members represent 7,000 craft professionals on the project’s workforce.

NABTU and Southern Company have a longstanding partnership, built on a shared commitment to safety, training and workforce development. The project has been able to remain on track amidst the international COVID-19 pandemic due to the precautionary measures in place to preserve the health of workers.

This week, the company opened an onsite medical clinic accessible to all Vogtle Units 3 & 4 personnel. The clinic is open 24/7 and staffed with medical professionals who can administer tests for illnesses such as flu, strep, and COVID-19, if necessary. The free onsite services provide workers convenient medical care solutions and quick test results.

“Across the Southern Company system, we’re focused on protecting the safety and health of our employees and contract workers, including members of the North America’s Building Trades Unions,” said Tom Fanning, Southern Company chairman, president & CEO. “The rigorous preparations in place at Plant Vogtle have helped us take appropriate actions to respond to the impact of COVID-19.”

“The health and safety of our members and their families is always job number one,” said Sean McGarvey, North America’s Building Trades Unions’ president. “We commend the extraordinary measures taken by Southern Company at Plant Vogtle to go above and beyond the call of duty to keep our members safe and healthy. Together, with great partners like Southern Company, the building trades are doing whatever it takes to help our country during this time and that includes ensuring we continue to safely operate, maintain and build new infrastructure to keep our nation powered and safe.”

In addition to the clinic, precautions to maintain health of those onsite include:

• Implementing self-isolation for team members who have been in close contact with individuals undergoing testing.
• Promoting prevention guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, such as social distancing.
• Staggering break times.
• Cancelling large in-person meetings.
• Suspending buses and trams onsite.
• Implementing aggressive cleaning practices.

Significant progress continues to be made at the construction site, with the project now approximately 84% complete.

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Press Contact: Betsy Barrett, bbarrett@nabtu.org

 

About NABTU

North America’s Building Trades Unions is an alliance of 14 national and international unions in the building and construction industry that collectively represent over 3 million skilled craft professionals in the United States and Canada. Each year, our unions and our signatory contractor partners invest over $1.6 billion in private-sector money to fund and operate over 1,900 apprenticeship training and education facilities across North America that produce the safest, most highly trained, and productive, skilled craft workers found anywhere in the world. NABTU is dedicated to creating economic security and employment opportunities for its construction workers by safeguarding wage and benefits standards, promoting responsible private capital investments, investing in renowned apprenticeship and training, and creating pathways to the middle class for women, communities of color and military veterans in the construction industry. #Buildingtradeswhateverittakes – to learn more, visit www.nabtu.org.

About Southern Company

Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is a leading energy company serving 9 million customers through its subsidiaries. The company provides clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy through electric operating companies in three states, natural gas distribution companies in four states, a competitive generation company serving wholesale customers across America, a leading distributed energy infrastructure company, a fiber optics network and telecommunications services. Southern Company brands are known for excellent customer service, high reliability and affordable prices below the national average. For more than a century, we have been building the future of energy and developing the full portfolio of energy resources, including carbon-free nuclear, advanced carbon capture technologies, natural gas, renewables, energy efficiency and storage technology. Through an industry-leading commitment to innovation and a low-carbon future, Southern Company and its subsidiaries develop the customized energy solutions our customers and communities require to drive growth and prosperity. Our uncompromising values ensure we put the needs of those we serve at the center of everything we do and govern our business to the benefit of our world. Our corporate culture and hiring practices have been recognized nationally by the U.S. Department of Defense, G.I. Jobs magazine, DiversityInc, Black Enterprise, Fortune’s “World’s Most Admired Companies” list, Forbes and the Women’s Choice Award. To learn more, visit www.southerncompany.com.