I’ve been critical of Dominion’s “big grid” strategy of building monster power plants in outlying areas and linking them to customers with monster transmission lines. But I’m realistic enough to know that Dominion, like Virginia’s other power companies, will have to add more capacity eventually — no matter how much we conserve, and no matter how rapidly we bring renewable energy sources online. And when Dominion does bring on new capacity, I’m perfectly happy, like the Daily Press, to see it to run on nuclear energy.
Dominion has established an excellent track record for safety and efficiency of its nuclear units. If we can solve the problem of disposing of the spent nuclear fuel rods — surely the United States is big enough and has enough empty places that can take them — nukes are cleaner than fossil fuels. And, if man-made global climate change charges your batteries, nukes don’t emit greenhouse gases.
Indeed, I would go the next step forward. Virginia ought to encourage the use of electric vehicles — all running on clean, nuclear-powered fuel. I may have issues with Dominion, but I’d far rather rely on a home-grown electric utility for my fuel source than fossil fuels (whether oil or natural gas) imported from Venezuela, Nigeria or the Middle East, where our money props up dictators and underwrites terrorism.
