Dominion Energy has announced that it will file paperwork to renew its operating licenses for its two Surry County, Virginia, nuclear power stations, the first in the Commonwealth to seek a second license renewal with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) beyond the original 40-year license term that was granted in the early 1970s.
The power station operates two nuclear units capable of producing clean electricity for approximately 419,000 homes in Virginia. Under its current licenses, Surry Units “1” and “2” can continue to generate electricity through 2032 and 2033, respectively. With the renewal, the 1,676 net megawatt units may operate until 2052 and 2053, individually.
“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 Dominion Energy’s Chief Nuclear Officer Dan Stoddard in a news release. “Our customers will benefit from continuing to receive safe, reliable, affordable, and clean electricity from the station through 2053.
Stoddard added, “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.”
Earlier this year, Dominion Energy announced 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. The Surry and North Anna generators currently produce 31 percent of the electricity sent to the company’s 2.5 million customers, combined.
In May of last year, the NRC approved construction of a third nuclear reactor at North Anna which would allow for even more safe, reliable, affordable, and clean energy for Dominion’s customers.
As much as $4 billion over the next decade could be spent on the Surry-North Anna relicensing program, which has bipartisan support in the General Assembly.