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Conference on Nuclear Training and Education: A Biennial International Forum (CONTE 2025)
February 3–6, 2025
Amelia Island, FL|Omni Amelia Island Resort
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A series of firsts delivers new Plant Vogtle units
Southern Nuclear was first when no one wanted to be.
The nuclear subsidiary of the century-old utility Southern Company, based in Atlanta, Ga., joined a pack of nuclear companies in the early 2000s—during what was then dubbed a “nuclear renaissance”—bullish on plans for new large nuclear facilities and adding thousands of new carbon-free megawatts to the grid.
In 2008, Southern Nuclear applied for a combined construction and operating license (COL), positioning the company to receive the first such license from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in 2012. Also in 2008, Southern became the first U.S. company to sign an engineering, procurement, and construction contract for a Generation III+ reactor. Southern chose Westinghouse’s AP1000 pressurized water reactor, which was certified by the NRC in December 2011.
Fast forward a dozen years—which saw dozens of setbacks and hundreds of successes—and Southern Nuclear and its stakeholders celebrated the completion of Vogtle Units 3 and 4: the first new commercial nuclear power construction project completed in the U.S. in more than 30 years.
Dr. William Burchill retired from a career in nuclear energy that spanned over 35 years focusing on nuclear safety. He is a member of the ANS Nuclear Installations Safety; Education, Training, & Workforce Development; and Nuclear Nonproliferation Policy Divisions.
Before retiring, he was an HTRI Professor and Department Head of Nuclear Engineering for five years at Texas A&M University. Prior to that, he spent five years as the Risk Management Director at Commonwealth Edison/Exelon Nuclear.
Dr. Burchill’s career also included three years at Pennsylvania Power & Light and 25 years with Combustion Engineering (C-E), where his last position was Director, Operations and Field Engineering Services. He led the C-E response to the Three Mile Island accident.
Dr. Burchill earned a B.S. in Metallurgical Engineering (Nuclear Option) from the Missouri School of Mines & Metallurgy, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). He also holds an M.S. in Management from the Hartford Graduate Center of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
He was given the 2008 Distinguished Alumni Award, Department of Nuclear, Plasma and Radiological Engineering by UIUC, and in 2011 he was presented the Alumni Award for Distinguished Service from the College of Engineering at the UIUC. He was presented the 2017 Leadership Award from ANS and the 2020 Walter Zinn Medal from ANS. He was elected to be an ANS Fellow in 2021.
He is a past chair of the International Nuclear Societies Council.
Read Nuclear News from July 2008 for more on Bill.
Last modified May 31, 2022, 12:35pm CDT
