The Surry nuclear power station in the US state of Virginia. Photo courtesy Dominion.

US Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff have issued the final supplemental environmental impact statement for Dominion Energy Virginia’s application for an additional 20 years of operation for both units at the Surry nuclear power station.



The NRC said in a statement it had concluded the potential environmental impacts are not great enough to prevent the agency from considering issuance of the renewed licences.

The NRC staff will consider the final EIS and the final safety evaluation report when considering whether to issue the renewed licences, the statement said.

Dominion submitted the subsequent licence renewal application for both units on 15 October 2018. The subsequent licence renewal process determines whether the licensee for an operating reactor can extend its licence for an additional 20 years. Initial licence renewals add 20 years to a reactor’s original 40-year licence.

Surry-1, an 838-MW pressurised water reactor, began commercial operation in December 1972. The identical Surry-2 began commercial operation in May 1973.