North Anna Nuclear Generating Station: Difference between revisions
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The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's estimate of the risk each year of an earthquake intense enough to cause core damage to the reactor at North Anna was 1 in 22,727, according to an NRC study published in August 2010.<ref>[[Bill Dedman]], "What are the odds? US nuke plants ranked by quake risk," ''[[msnbc.com]]'', March 17, 2011 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42103936/ Accessed April 19, 2011.</ref><ref>http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/Sections/NEWS/quake%20nrc%20risk%20estimates.pdf</ref> |
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's estimate of the risk each year of an earthquake intense enough to cause core damage to the reactor at North Anna was 1 in 22,727, according to an NRC study published in August 2010.<ref>[[Bill Dedman]], "What are the odds? US nuke plants ranked by quake risk," ''[[msnbc.com]]'', March 17, 2011 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42103936/ Accessed April 19, 2011.</ref><ref>http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/Sections/NEWS/quake%20nrc%20risk%20estimates.pdf</ref> |
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At 1:51pm on August 23, 2011, a [[2011 Virginia earthquake|5.8 magnitude earthquake]] was reportedly centered in Mineral, Virginia, near the North Anna Nuclear Station.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]] |work=Earthquake Hazards Program |title=Magnitude 5.8 - VIRGINIA; 2011 August 23 17:51:04 UTC |url=http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/se082311a.html |date=August 23, 2011}}</ref> According to the [[Associated Press]], the quake "was felt as far north as Rhode Island, New York City and Martha's Vineyard, Mass." The plant was |
At 1:51pm on August 23, 2011, a [[2011 Virginia earthquake|5.8 magnitude earthquake]] was reportedly centered in Mineral, Virginia, near the North Anna Nuclear Station.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]] |work=Earthquake Hazards Program |title=Magnitude 5.8 - VIRGINIA; 2011 August 23 17:51:04 UTC |url=http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/se082311a.html |date=August 23, 2011}}</ref> According to the [[Associated Press]], the quake "was felt as far north as Rhode Island, New York City and Martha's Vineyard, Mass." The plant was automatically shut down and, because of a loss of offsite power, diesel generators were used to run safety systems.<ref> {{cite news |url=http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_EAST_COAST_QUAKE?SITE=INEVA&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT |title = Quake rocks Washington area, felt on East Coast |publisher=[[Associated Press]] |date=August 23, 2011}}</ref> <ref>{{cite news|url= http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2011/aug/23/north-anna-nuclear-facility-loses-power-shut-down--ar-1257146/|title=North Anna nuclear facility loses power, shut down after quake |newspaper=Richmond Times Dispatch}}</ref> Offsite power was later restored.<ref> http://dom.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=1015</ref> |
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== Reactor data == |
== Reactor data == |
Revision as of 13:08, 24 August 2011
This article may be affected by a current event. Information in this article may change rapidly as the event progresses. Initial news reports may be unreliable. The last updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (August 2011) |
North Anna Nuclear Generating Station | |
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![]() North Anna NPP | |
![]() | |
Country | ![]() |
Coordinates | 38°03′38″N 77°47′22″W / 38.0606°N 77.7894°W |
Status | Operational |
Commission date | Unit 1: June 6, 1978 Unit 2: December 14, 1980 |
Operator(s) | Dominion |
Power generation | |
Nameplate capacity |
|
External links | |
Website | www |
Commons | Related media on Commons |
The North Anna Nuclear Generating Station is a nuclear power plant on a 1,075-acre (4.35 km2) site in Louisa County, Virginia. The site is operated by Dominion Generation company and is jointly owned by the Dominion Virginia Power corporation (88.4%) and by the Old Dominion Electric Cooperative (11.6%).
The plant has two Westinghouse pressurized water reactors which went on-line in 1978 and 1980 respectively. Together the reactors generate 1.79 gigawatts of power, which is distributed mainly to the greater Richmond area and to Northern Virginia. In March 2003, the NRC approved 20 year license extensions for both Units 1 & 2.[1]
An artificial lake, Lake Anna, was constructed on the North Anna River to provide a reservoir of water coolant for use with the nuclear plant. Exhaustive studies have shown that the lake's abundant aquatic life are not harmed by the plant's operation. [citation needed]
Dominion currently owns nuclear power plants in Virginia (North Anna, Surry), Connecticut (Millstone), and Wisconsin (Kewaunee). North Anna is similar in design and appearance to Surry Power Station.
Surrounding population
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission defines two emergency planning zones around nuclear power plants: a plume exposure pathway zone with a radius of 10 miles (16 km), concerned primarily with exposure to, and inhalation of, airborne radioactive contamination, and an ingestion pathway zone of about 50 miles (80 km), concerned primarily with ingestion of food and liquid contaminated by radioactivity.[2]
The 2010 U.S. population within 10 miles (16 km) of North Anna was 21,396, an increase of 15.7 percent in a decade, according to an analysis of U.S. Census data for msnbc.com. The 2010 U.S. population within 50 miles (80 km) was 1,912,015, an increase of 22.6 percent since 2000. Cities within 50 miles include Richmond (40 miles to city center).[3]
Unit 3
North Anna is currently going through the lengthy process of obtaining regulatory permission to build an additional unit at the site. Dominion Nuclear North Anna, LLC submitted its application for an Early Site Permit (ESP) for the North Anna site on September 25, 2003. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued the ESP on November 27, 2007.[4] On the same day, Dominion submitted an application for a Combined Construction and Operating License (COL) for a 1,520 MWe GE–Hitachi Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR), designated as North Anna Unit 3.[5]
In 2009, having failed to agree on terms for an engineering construction and procurement deal with GE-Hitachi to actually build the reactor, Dominion issued a new request for proposals from reactor vendors. In 2010, Dominion announced that it had selected a 1,700 MWe, US-specific version of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' (MHI) Advanced Pressurized Water Reactor (APWR) for the potential Unit 3.[6]
Proposed plans to add a new reactor to the North Anna site have brought public protest. On August 7, 2008 six activists from the Peoples Alliance for Clean Energy were arrested at the North Anna Information Center for trespassing.[7]
On Oct 29, 2010 Dominion president Tom Farrell told investors that Dominion had decided to slow its development of the proposed third reactor and wait until the combined construction permit-operating license (COL) was approved by the NRC before deciding to complete the project. This approval is expected in early 2013.[8]
Seismic risk
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's estimate of the risk each year of an earthquake intense enough to cause core damage to the reactor at North Anna was 1 in 22,727, according to an NRC study published in August 2010.[9][10]
At 1:51pm on August 23, 2011, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake was reportedly centered in Mineral, Virginia, near the North Anna Nuclear Station.[11] According to the Associated Press, the quake "was felt as far north as Rhode Island, New York City and Martha's Vineyard, Mass." The plant was automatically shut down and, because of a loss of offsite power, diesel generators were used to run safety systems.[12] [13] Offsite power was later restored.[14]
Reactor data
The North Anna Nuclear Generating Station consists of two operational reactors, two originally planned units were cancelled. One additional unit is planned.
Reactor unit[15] | Reactor type | Capacity | Construction started | Electricity grid connection | Commercial operation | Shutdown | |
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Net | Gross | ||||||
North Anna-1 | Westinghouse 3-loop | 903 MW | 973 MW | 02.19.1971 | 04.19.1978 | 06.06.1978 | |
North Anna-2 | Westinghouse 3-loop | 972 MW | 994 MW | 02.19.1971 | 08.25.1980 | 12.14.1980 | |
North Anna-3 (planned)[16] | US-APWR | 1500 MW | MW | ||||
North Anna-3 (former project)[17] | Westinghouse 3-loop | 907 MW | 950 MW | 06.01.1971 | Cancelled construction on 11.01.1982 | ||
North Anna-4 (former project)[18] | Westinghouse 3-loop | 907 MW | 950 MW | 12.01.1971 | Cancelled construction on 11.01.1980 |
References
- ^ "North Anna and Surry, Power Stations - License Renewal Application". U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
- ^ http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/emerg-plan-prep-nuc-power-bg.html
- ^ Bill Dedman, Nuclear neighbors: Population rises near US reactors, msnbc.com, April 14, 2011 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42555888/ns/us_news-life/ Accessed May 1, 2011.
- ^ "Issued Early Site Permit - North Anna Site". U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). August 28, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-16.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ "North Anna, Unit 3 Application". NRC. October 14, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-16.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ "Dominion selects APWR for North Anna". World Nuclear News. 10 May 2010. Retrieved 2010-05-10.
- ^ "6 arrested in protest at North Anna site". Daily Progress. August 7, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-16.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ "Dominion's 3rd-quarter net income declines". WTOP Radio. Oct. 29, 2010. Retrieved 2010-11-10.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|date=
(help) - ^ Bill Dedman, "What are the odds? US nuke plants ranked by quake risk," msnbc.com, March 17, 2011 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42103936/ Accessed April 19, 2011.
- ^ http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/Sections/NEWS/quake%20nrc%20risk%20estimates.pdf
- ^ "Magnitude 5.8 - VIRGINIA; 2011 August 23 17:51:04 UTC". Earthquake Hazards Program. United States Geological Survey. August 23, 2011.
- ^ "Quake rocks Washington area, felt on East Coast". Associated Press. August 23, 2011.
- ^ "North Anna nuclear facility loses power, shut down after quake". Richmond Times Dispatch.
- ^ http://dom.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=1015
- ^ Power Reactor Information System of the IAEA: „United States of America: Nuclear Power Reactors- Alphabetic“
- ^ Power Reactor Information System of the IAEA: „Nuclear Power Reactor Details - NORTH ANNA-3“
- ^ Power Reactor Information System of the IAEA: „Nuclear Power Reactor Details - NORTH ANNA-3“
- ^ Power Reactor Information System of the IAEA: „Nuclear Power Reactor Details - NORTH ANNA-4“
External links
Media related to North Anna Nuclear Generating Station at Wikimedia Commons
- Dominion's nuclear page
- DoE Page
- Harper, Scott (2006-11-22). "North Anna reactor proposal passes big test". The Virginian-Pilot.
- Current events from August 2011
- Louisa, Virginia
- Energy resource facilities in Virginia
- Nuclear power plants in Virginia
- Nuclear power stations using Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactors
- Proposed nuclear power stations in the United States
- Greater Richmond Region
- Buildings and structures in Louisa County, Virginia
- Nuclear power stations in the United States
- Nuclear power stations using pressurized water reactors