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Millions
of Kilowatt Hours
Nuclear
Power in Virginia
Several
months back, readers of the Bacon’s Rebellion
blog debated a posting entitled "Virginia:
A World-Class Player in Nuclear Power?" on
the feasibility of mining uranium in Pittsylvania
County. Some argued that using reprocessed material
in warheads from obsolete Soviet ICBMs was a better
solution to a shortage of uranium. Others mentioned
harnessing wave energy. Yet others suggested
hydroelectric power as an alternative. “Dam Great
Falls. We need the juice,” suggested one reader.
As
library professionals, we try to maintain a neutral
stance on such issues, but we did wonder what the
state of nuclear power in Virginia is today. Here
are some basic statistics:
-
A
hydroelectric plant in Bath County actually has
the largest net capability in the Commonwealth
(2,500 megawatts), but the North Anna plant
ranks second (1,786 MW) and the Surry
Power Plant is fourth (1,598 MW).
One-third
of the electricity distributed in the state by
Dominion, the company that owns the nuclear
reactors, is produced by the two plants, according
to Virginia
Places. (For those of you who need a refresher
on how nuclear power is generated, check out the
animated description here).
The
Surry plant was the first of the two nuclear power
plants to begin operation. Its first reactor began
operating in 1972, followed by a second reactor in
1973. The plant produces enough electricity to power
400,000 homes. The output from the North Anna plant
can produce enough electricity to power 450,000
homes. The first reactor at that site began
operation in 1978, followed by the second reactor in
1980.
There
have been other smaller nuclear power plants in the
state, and reactors still are installed and refueled
at Newport News and provide power for US Navy
aircraft carriers and submarines. At one time, there
was a 10-megawatt nuclear reactor that operated at
Ft. Belvoir. It was a model for small nuclear
reactors that might be able to be used in remote
areas where electricity or petroleum-based fuels
weren’t available. Two nuclear reactors at the
University of Virginia in Charlottesville were decommissioned
(closed permanently) in 1988 and 1998.
While
fear of nuclear power has abated since the nuclear
power accidents at Three Mile Island in 1979 and
Chernobyl in 1986, disaster plans have been
developed for Virginia’s two major reactors. These
plans, developed by Dominion, Virginia’s
Department of Emergency Management and local
counties and cities, include evacuating people
within 10 miles of the North Anna Power Station.
(Protected action zones, which might involve
sheltering or evacuation, extend to Caroline,
Hanover, Louisa, Orange and Spotsylvania counties.)
A similar plan is in effect at the Surry Power
Station. (Protected action zones extend to Isle of
Wight, James City, Surry, York counties and the
cities of Newport News and Williamsburg.)
Some
argue that nuclear power is experiencing resurgence
after a slowdown in development that involved more
than just fear of nuclear accidents. As Rachel
Smolkin wrote several years ago in the Washingtonian:
Interest
rates and inflation soared during the Carter
years, triggering big cost overruns. No plant
ordered after 1974 was finished; dozens were
started and canceled. Demand for electricity
slowed as the oil embargo spurred conservation
initiatives. Fears mounted about safe storage of
nuclear waste. Construction problems sparked
congressional hearings. The last nuclear plant to
come online, Watts Bar in Tennessee, took 23 years
to complete and cost $7 billion -- more than ten
times initial estimates. (“Are We Going
Nuclear?” Washingtonian, January 2004.)
In
November 2007, Dominion received an early site
permit from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to
build a third reactor at North Anna. This would be
its first since 1978. The company has not committed
to building the project, but wants to have the
option to do so. If built, the new reactor would
produce 1,530 megawatts or enough to power 375,000
additional homes.
The
residents who live around Lake Anna, the artificial
lake created to provide coolant for the reactor,
have adjusted to life in the shadow of nuclear
power.
“We
certainly thought about it, but it's not a hazard
we're overly concerned about," Lake Anna
resident Doug Smith told the Washingtonian.
His wife agreed. “"Once you get down here and
start enjoying the lake life, you forget that it's
there," Colleen Smith added.
NEXT:
Virginia: Home of the Outdoor Privy Race or What
Ever Happened to Outdoor Plumbing?
--
January 28, 2008
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