Dominion Energy Installs New Vessel Head
On North Anna Unit 2, Moves Up Schedule
For Other Replacements
RICHMOND, Va. - Dominion Energy, the electric
generating unit of Dominion (NYSE: D), installed a new crack-resistant vessel
head on its North Anna Unit 2 nuclear reactor Thursday and said it expects to
return the unit to service by the end of January.
Dominion also announced that, based on the success of the
project, it will accelerate the vessel head replacements on its remaining three
Virginia reactors and complete the work during refueling outages this year.
The company has purchased two additional vessel heads from Framatome ANP of
France for installation at North Anna Unit 1 and Surry Unit 1 this spring. Mitsubishi
Heavy Industries of Japan will supply a new vessel head that will be installed
at Surry Unit 2 this fall.
Thos. E. Capps, chairman, president and chief executive officer,
said:
"It makes economic sense for us to buy these new heads
and install them in 2003 rather than conduct timely and expensive inspections
and repairs, and then replace them anyway during the next two years. We want
to finish this work this year so we can focus on solid, sustained nuclear performance
for the long term.
"Our decision to replace the North Anna Unit 2 vessel
head was a bold, aggressive and successful response to a generic industry problem.
We have demonstrated that we have the kind of management and nuclear engineering
team that can quickly take on a project of this magnitude and finish it when
we said we would. I'm very proud of what's been accomplished."
Dominion decided to replace the original vessel head on North
Anna Unit 2 after inspections found minor indications of leakage in the welds
that attach control rod drive guide and instrument tubes to the vessel head.
Dominion has a diversified and integrated energy portfolio
consisting of about 24,000 megawatts of generation. Dominion also 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.
