Dominion seeks to keep North Anna nuclear plant operating into 2060

Richmond utility filed renewal paperwork for two reactors

Published September 4, 2020 by Richard Foster

Richmond-based Dominion Energy has filed an application with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to renew the operating license for its North Anna nuclear power station for an additional 20 years.

In operation since 1978 and 1980, North Anna’s two reactor units are currently licensed to operate until 2038 and 2040. The renewal would have the reactor units licensed to operate through 2058 and 2060, at which time the reactors would be more than 80 years old. In 2019, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved the first license renewals that could see nuclear plants in operation for up to 80 years to Florida Light & Power’s Turkey Point nuclear plant in Miami-Dade County, Florida.

Located in Louisa County, Dominion’s North Anna nuclear power plant has two nuclear units that are capable of generating 1,892 net megawatts, or about 20% of the electricity delivered to Virginia customers. It primarily generates electricity for customers in the Richmond region and Northern Virginia.

“Our application to renew North Anna Power Station’s licenses for another 20-year period is good news for our customers, the regional economy, and the environment,” said Dan Stoddard, Dominion’s chief nuclear officer, in a statement released Friday. “Our customers will benefit from continuing to receive safe, reliable, affordable, and carbon-free electricity from the station through 2060. Renewing the licenses for both of our nuclear units in Virginia is critical to the company meeting the Virginia Clean Economy Act’s requirements for zero-carbon electricity by 2045, as well as the company’s net zero by 2050 commitment. It also positions Virginia for continued economic growth and will help the Commonwealth remain a leader in the production of clean energy among other states in the mid-Atlantic and South. It supports more than 900 high-paying jobs at the station and produces additional economic and tax benefits.”

Dominion’s other Virginia-based nuclear plant, the Surry Power Station, filed in 2018 for a similar renewal for the two reactor units at the Surry County facility, which originally went online in 1972 and 1973. That application is still under review by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Combined, the North Anna and Surry nuclear plants produce 31% of the electricity produced for Dominion’s 2.5 million Virginia customers.

The North Anna and Surry nuclear reactors were both initially licensed to operate for 40 years and received an additional 20 year extensions in 2003.