ABC Domes Completes Fukushima Flex Storage Dome at Southern Company's Plant Farley
Miami, Florida (PRWEB) April 15, 2015 -- American Business Continuity Domes, Inc. (“ABC Domes”), Dome Technology, and Engineering System Solutions (ES2), the U.S.-based alliance that engineers, designs and builds disaster-resistant, steel-reinforced concrete domes, have completed the first of three Severe Accident Management FLEX equipment storage buildings for Southern Company at its Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant in Columbia, Alabama.
The 15,432 square foot dome is 138’ in diameter, 38’ tall and features two hardened equipment doors and a 2,500 square foot mezzanine for additional equipment and component storage. The project was awarded to ABC Domes by Southern Company in December 2013, in accordance with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s response to the Fukushima Daiichi incident in Japan. The agency issued an order with specific requirements for mitigation strategies for beyond-design basis external events.
“Following the event at Fukushima, US industry leaders worked together to develop a flexible, diverse coping strategy that would provide even more protection for our plants against extreme events,” said Steve Kuczynski, CEO of Southern Nuclear, a subsidiary of Southern Company that operates its nuclear energy facilities. “FLEX adds another level of safety to our proven emergency plans to ensure plant operators can maintain key safety functions even if offsite power sources are curtailed.”
Designed to rigorous specifications, the dome will withstand 360 mph winds, event driven missiles and seismic forces.
“Hopefully, we’ll never need those plans or the backup equipment,” Kuczynski continued. “But our approach has always been to expect the unexpected and then prepare for it. This dome is a tangible example of Southern Nuclear’s commitment to ensuring our plants – and our neighbors – are even safer than they were before Fukushima.”
The ABC Domes team is working on two other dome projects for Southern Company. The domes at Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant in Waynesboro, Georgia and Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant in Baxley, Georgia are scheduled for completion in May and December of 2015 respectively. Additionally, the team is nearing completion on seven Fukushima FLEX domes for other U. S. utility companies.
ABC Domes’ facilities provide near absolute protection from hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes and fires, and are utilized by a variety of industries for purposes ranging from highly secure storage to disaster recovery and business continuity. Because of their strong and ergonomic shape and use of superior building materials, the domes are virtually unaffected by time, weather, seismic activity or manmade assault, thus meeting standards for near-absolute survivability.
For further information, please contact Lisa Schunack at 305.633.3336. Or, visit: http://www.abcdomes.com
Lisa Schunack, ABC Domes, +1 (305) 633-3336, [email protected]
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