Keep the Surry Nuclear Power Station Operational

Uranium (Nuclear Minerals) / Nuclear Power - Economics, Design, & Industry

Date posted: 01/25/16

David Banks, of the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that Dominion Virginia Power says it plans to seek permission from federal regulators to operate both reactors at its Surry nuclear plant for another 20 years. If approved, this would be the second time the Surry units would have their operating licenses renewed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. And it would mark the first time in America that an electricity company would be allowed to operate a nuclear plant for a total of 80 years. Without doubt, opponents of nuclear power will do their best to ensure this does not happen. A few adversaries argue that renewable energy sources and improvements in energy efficiency alone can meet Virginia future energy needs. But that is wishful thinking, based more on hope than reality. Despite federal tax credits and other incentives, solar and wind power supply less than 1% of Virginia electricity. In contrast, nuclear energy is now Virginia No. 1 source of electric power, accounting for 39.1% of the state power supply, a larger share than either coal or natural gas, each of which provide about 27%. For all the hype they get, solar and wind energy cannot match the nuclear power environmental record. And because renewable energy is intermittent, solar and wind produce only when the sun shines and the wind blows, the rest of the power-plant fleet must compensate for this unpredictability. Power plants have to be kept running on standby as backup power to compensate for any unanticipated shortage of renewable energy. Nationally, solar arrays and wind turbines, on average, produce electricity on 35% of the time. In addition, wind power requires 360 times as much land area to produce the same amount of electricity as the Surry or North Anna nuclear plant, and solar requires 75 times the land. Indeed, compactness is a major nuclear advantage over renewables. Federal regulators can, and should, take the crucial step of renewing the Surry operating license.