Nuclear

Dominion Energy to Relicense North Anna Nuclear

The official license renewal application will be filed in 2020.

By Editors of Power Engineering

Dominion Energy Virginia has notified the Nuclear Regulatory Commission it intends to relicense the North Anna Power Station in Louisa County for an additional 20 years.

The official license renewal application will be filed in 2020. Dominion previously announced it will file for a license extension at the Surry Power Station as well.

“Renewing North Anna Power Station’s licenses for a second 20-year period is the right thing to do for our customers, the regional economy and the environment,” said Daniel G. Stoddard, chief nuclear officer for Dominion’s nuclear generation division. “The planned relicensing of North Anna and Surry ensures that the benefits of these clean energy sources will continue to provide affordable, reliable, carbon-free electricity to our customers through the middle of the century. Our nuclear power stations have proven to be among the most-efficient and most-reliable sources of electricity in our fleet.”

Dominion is now reviewing all technical aspects associated with the license renewal, and intends to spend $4 billion on upgrades to North Anna and Surry as part of the process.

North Anna’s two units produce a combined 1,892 MW of electricity, with Unit 1 entering operations in 1978 and Unit 2 in 1980. Plans to construct a third unit at North Anna were put on hold earlier this year.

Surry Power Station in Surry County produces 1,676 MW. Its Unit 1 began operations in 1972 and Unit 2 in 1973.

All four units were relicensed in 2003, with North Anna’s licenses set to expire in 2038 and 2040, and Surry’s in 2032 and 2033.

Dominion’s nuclear fleet also includes the Millstone Power Station in Waterford, Connecticut. Its license was last renewed in 2005, and the company hasn’t yet made a decision to relicense the facility.

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