Dominion Virginia Power said Monday that it had notified the Nuclear Regulatory Commission of its intent to file a second license renewal application for each of its two reactors at the Surry Power Station.
The company said a second license extension would break new ground in the United States. The two reactors at the plant went operational in 1972 and 1973, respectively, and were granted license extensions in 2003. This extended their operational lives from 40 to 60 years and put their closure dates at 2032 and 2033, respectively.
The second license extensions, if granted, would push those dates back to 2052 and 2053, which would mean operational lifespans of 80 years for the Westinghouse three-loop pressurized water reactors (PWR) that Dominion Generation's Chief Executive Officer David A. Christian said provides for 950 high paying jobs on an ongoing basis.
The plant churns out 1,676 net megawatts of harmful carbon emissions-free electricity that provides for 20 percent of Virginia's needs – enough power for 419,000 homes. The facility also provides economic and tax benefits to the region and state, he said.
The plant is located in Surry County, 17 miles northwest of Newport News, Va.
Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers and transporters of energy, with a portfolio of approximately 24,400 megawatts of generation, 12,200 miles of natural gas transmission, gathering and storage pipeline, and 6,490 miles of electric transmission lines. Dominion operates one of the nation's largest natural gas storage systems with 928 billion cubic feet of storage capacity and serves utility and retail energy customers in 14 states.