Dominion Energy Signs Contract to Replace Reactor
Heads At Four Nuclear Reactors in Virginia
RICHMOND, Va. - Dominion
Energy, the electric generating unit of Dominion (NYSE: D), announced Thursday
that it has signed an agreement with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America Inc..
and Westinghouse Electric Company to supply new reactor heads for the company's
four nuclear reactors in Virginia.
The heads will be installed on the reactors at North Anna
and Surry power stations by the spring of 2005. The capital project cost is
$175 million, and has been incorporated in the company's plans. The replacements
will occur during scheduled refueling outages for each of the four reactors.
The replacements will resolve degradation issues associated
with penetrations, or tubes, on the vessel heads. The tubes guide control rods
in and out of the uranium fuel core, absorbing neutrons and controlling the
fission inside the reactor. The reactor head is more than 6 inches thick carbon
steel with a quarter-inch stainless steel liner.
Dominion inspected the North Anna and Surry reactor heads
in 2001 after several companies found heads damaged by acidic water that was
seeping from inside the reactor around the control rod tubes. The water, which
contains boric acid to supplement control of the fission process, cools the
uranium fuel. The industry identified all pressurized water reactors as having
the potential for this problem and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission ordered
inspections.
The company identified nine penetrations with apparent seepage
or that did not meet American Society of Mechanical Engineers code on two of
the four reactor heads -- six indications on Surry Unit 1 and three on North
Anna Unit 2 -- and made repairs. There were no indications of damage on the
North Anna Unit 1 or Surry Unit 2 reactor heads.
Dominion plans to replace three of the vessel heads in 2004
and one in 2005. The units can operate safely in the interim. Dominion will
continue to conduct thorough inspections during refueling outages that occur
every 18 months.
North Anna Power Station is in Louisa County, Va., and consists
of two units, each with three-loop Westinghouse pressurized water reactors capable
of generating 1,842 net megawatts of electricity. Surry Power Station, in Surry
County, Va., consists of two units, each with three-loop Westinghouse pressurized
water reactors capable of producing 1,625 net megawatts of electricity.
During ultrasonic inspection of 79 reactor vessel head penetrations
at Dominion Energy's Millstone Unit 2, three control rod housing tubes were
found to have minor indications that were not through-wall. The indications
found were 22-thousandths of an inch deep. Repairs were made to all three tubes.
Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers of
energy, with a production capability of more than 3 trillion British thermal
unit of energy per day. Dominion serves more than 3.8 million franchise natural
gas and electric customers in five states. For more information about Dominion,
visit the company's Web site at www.dom.com.
