South Carolina port, NS handle heavy steam generator

The South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) last month handled one of its heaviest-ever energy project moves at the Port of Charleston.

A 1.5 million-pound Westinghouse Electric Co. steam generator was offloaded from a ship at the port Dec. 20. The generator will be used at South Carolina Electric & Gas Co.'s nuclear power plant expansion near Columbia.
 
The generator was loaded onto a Schnabel rail car, a specialty 36-axle car designed to transport heavy and oversized loads. The load required coordination between the port, Palmetto Railways, SCPA and Westinghouse.

Norfolk Southern Railway moved the Schnabel car from Charleston to Jenkinsville, S.C., where two Westinghouse nuclear power plants are under construction.
 
The generator move demonstrates the "high, wide and heavy" cargo capabilities of the authority's Columbus Street Terminal, said SCPA President and Chief Executive Officer Jim Newsome in a press release. The authority renovated the terminal in 2011 by broadening on-dock rail, storage and heavy-lift capabilities for various cargoes, including autos and other rolling stock.

"This project is a significant contributor to our volume growth in the breakbulk business segment, and the movement of oversized cargo also boosts maritime and transportation jobs," said Newsome.
 
Over the next year, SCPA expects to handle three additional steam generators at the port that roughly will be the same size as the Westinghouse unit.