North Anna Site approved for 2 more units.

[Rennhack]

The NRC has approved an early site permit (ESP) for up to two new nuclear reactors at Dominion's North Anna plant in Virginia.  This is NOT a Combined Operating Liscense (COL), which is still needed to build new reactors.

The permit was the third the NRC has authorized under a process established in 1989 for authorizing new reactors.

The permit is valid until 2020, during which time Dominion must obtain additional regulatory approval before it can actually start building a new reactor at the North Anna site.

Dominion applied for the permit in September 2003. (Nothing like a speedy responce time, eh?)

The NRC issued an early site permit for a new unit at Exelon's Clinton plant in Illinois on March 15, and issued a permit for a new reactor at Entergy's Grand Gulf site in Mississippi.

Nuclear operators have rushed to submit applications for new reactors in recent years amid soaring electricity demand and the rising cost of fossil fuels. Nuclear power can be generated more cheaply than power from gas-fired facilities, creating significant profit potential for energy companies that own nuclear power plants.

Dominion has two reactors generating a total of 1,842 megawatts at its North Anna site. The plant is near Louisa, Va., about 58 miles northwest of Richmond. North Anna is part of the SERC Reliability Corp. electric grid oversight region, which covers most of the Southeast.

[Rennhack]

1-29-08 Dominion submited a COL for North Anna #3