Dominion Energy has filed an application with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to renew Surry Power Station’s operating licenses for an additional 20-year term.
The filing for the power station, located in Surry County, Va., makes it the first nuclear station in the Commonwealth to seek a second renewal of its licenses, beyond the original 40-year license terms that were granted in 1972 and 1973. The power station operates two nuclear units capable of producing clean electricity for 419,000 homes in Virginia. Dominion Energy Virginia announced earlier this year that it also will file a similar application to renew the licenses of the two North Anna Power Station units in Louisa County in 2020. Both Surry and North Anna, combined, produce 31 percent of the electricity for the company’s 2.5 million customers.
“Our application to renew Surry 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 Energy’s Chief Nuclear Officer. “Our customers will benefit from continuing to receive safe, reliable, affordable, and clean electricity from the station through 2053.
“Renewing the operation of Surry also positions Virginia for 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.”
Under its current licenses, Surry Units 1 and 2 can continue to provide safe, reliable and affordable electricity to customers through 2032 and 2033, respectively. With renewed licenses, the units may operate to 2052 and 2053, respectively, ensuring customers continue to benefit from the always-on, 24/7 electricity the station produces.
The nuclear units at Surry Power Station are both three-loop Westinghouse pressurized water reactors – capable of providing 1,676 net megawatts, or about 15 percent of the electricity our customers receive.
Like all U.S. nuclear units, the Surry units were originally licensed to operate for 40 years. The units’ licenses were renewed for 20 additional years of operation on March 20, 2003, following a stringent review process authorized under federal law. The company could spend as much as $4 billion over the next decade on the Surry-North Anna relicensing program, which has bipartisan support in Virginia.
Nearly 6 million customers in 19 states energize their homes and businesses with electricity or natural gas from Dominion Energy, headquartered in Richmond, Va. The company is committed to sustainable, reliable, affordable, and safe energy and is one of the nation’s largest producers and transporters of energy with over $78 billion of assets providing electric generation, transmission and distribution, as well as natural gas storage, transmission, distribution, and import/export services. As one of the nation’s leading solar operators, the company intends to reduce its carbon intensity 50 percent by 2030. Through its Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation, as well as EnergyShare and other programs, Dominion Energy plans to contribute more than $30 million in 2018 to community causes throughout its footprint and beyond.
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Chris Graham
