Old Dominion Electric Cooperative announced it will no longer
join Dominion Virginia Power in building a third reactor at Virginia’s North Anna
power plant.
The companies will still share ownership of the plant’s
existing two units, in which ODEC has an 11.6 percent stake. In a statement
issued late Monday, ODEC CEO Jackson E. Reasor said:
“While
we consider nuclear generation an important part of our diversified portfolio
of energy resources to meet ODEC’s goal of providing reliable, affordable and
environmentally responsible electricity to the 1.2 million member-consumers of
the electric distribution cooperatives served by our organization, our board of
directors and senior management have determined that participating in this
proposed nuclear reactor project does not fit with our long-term plans.”
A
release by Dominion Virginia immediately reaffirmed that company’s commitment to completing
the third reactor. In 2007, the companies received an early site permit from
the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for the project, and they’d moved forward
with plans to build a Mitsubishi Advanced Pressurized Water Reactor.
In
a statement, Dominion CEO Thomas F. Farrell II said "while Dominion has
not decided on the schedule to build the unit, the company will continue to
move forward with the federal combined operating license process and
preliminary site development work."