WNN reports that the state of Virginia has the potential to be a nuclear energy leader in the USA, according to a position paper published by the state-based Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy. Titled Virginia Can Lead the National Nuclear Renaissance, the study is authored by Donald Hoffman, chair of the Virginia Nuclear Energy Consortium Authority and a past-president of the American Nuclear Society, and Robert Hartwell, a former Congressional Chief of Staff and lobbyist.
The state has four operating nuclear units - two each at North Anna and Surry power stations - between them provide some 3,500 MWe of generating capacity and produce nearly 36 per cent of Virginia electricity. Citing a 2011 report, the authors note that by 2021 the state will require a further 4,000 MWe of generating capacity just to meet demand.
The state is uniquely suited for this new capacity to be nuclear, the report suggests, with a favorable business climate and the affirmation of the state support for nuclear power through the establishment of the Virginia Nuclear Energy Consortium (VNEC) in 2013. Furthermore, the report describes the number of nuclear operations, nuclear related facilities, engineering schools and federal facilities and critical infrastructure that currently benefit from nuclear power. In addition, the state has a world-class uranium deposit in southern Virginia that has not yet been developed because of local opposition but offers reserves that compare in size with similar deposits of Canada.
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