First Eighty-Year Nuclear Plant Licensing Could be Made Next Year

Dominion Energy could spend $4 billion over the next decade on the Surry-North Anna relicensing program and plant maintenance. The two nuclear units at Surry Power Station are both three-loop Westinghouse pressurized water reactors that produce 1,676 net megawatts. This is about 14% of the electricity used in Virginia.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission could extend the operating license for the two reactors by 20 years to 2052 and 2053.

Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) president and CEO Maria Korsnick said digital technology, 3D printers, big-data analytics, and artificial intelligence are enabling upgrades existing nuclear plants for extended operation.

Westinghouse was recently funded by the DOE to make what could the first of a new generation of factory mass produced microreactors. Small modular reactors and micro-reactors from many companies could start providing significant new nuclear power.

There is also progress to new nuclear fuel that has more surface area which could improve safety, increase power generation and improve nuclear power economics.

SOURCES- Lightbridge, World Nuclear News, Westinghouse

Written by Brian Wang

7 thoughts on “First Eighty-Year Nuclear Plant Licensing Could be Made Next Year”

  1. Yup. Just like back in the ’90s/early ’00s you got the same BS buzz by putting an ‘i’ before everything. That is how we got the iPhone originally.

  2. That’s just not true. Russians have proven annealing them works great. So those things are potentially immortal due to their overengineering.

    The pantheon was built 2000 years ago – their bronze ceiling was still there until the early 17th century, when Pope Urban VIII Barberini tore away the bronze ceiling of the portico to make cannons. Turned out the bronze was not good for weapons, so they built St. Peter’s Baldachin with it.

    A nuclear reactor vessel can last 2000 years with annealing, maybe more.

    EDIT: http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Rosatom-launches-annealing-technology-for-VVER-100

  3. You cant do away with neutron embrittelment the reactor vessel was designed for 30 years and a safety factor even though high was the prevailing concern. The vessels have already been extended and the safety they once enjoyed has been diminished. Imagine the reactor vessel breaking like an egg with over 2000 psi internal pressure, none of the safety features will work. Whats worse the building which is the only containment may also fail. Just replace the reactor vessels and the steam generators and carry on,paper whipping engineering wont work.

  4. “3D printers, big-data analytics, and artificial intelligence are enabling upgrades existing nuclear plants for extended operation…”

    Those things have nothing to do with license extensions at nuke plants.

  5. About $2.50 per watt of capital cost to refurb. The last couple of decades has seen those running 25% of new cost, which implies $10 per watt new. Cheaper than that if it includes an uprate.

    Vogltle is at $11.50 per watt and climbing.

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