Photo by Michael Stuart

Dominion Energy’s North Anna Nuclear Power Plant’s iconic domed containment structures look out over Lake Anna’s residents and visitors as they cruise by in their boats every summer. Drivers notice the signs for the plant while driving along Kentucky Springs Road. Local businesses even capitalize on the local landmark by naming their businesses and products with nuclear power-related monikers. But with its security clearance requirements, complexities, and decades of misconceptions in pop culture, many still find the nuclear power world mysterious.

North Anna Power Station produces 17% of the Commonwealth’s energy, 40% of its carbon-free energy, and provides enough electricity to serve nearly 475,000 homes. There are two nuclear reactor units at the Lake Anna location, as pictured here, with Unit 1 on the right and Unit 2 on the left.

Outages occur every six to twelve months in the spring and fall. This spring an outage is scheduled for Unit 2; In the fall, Unit 1 will be shut down. Outages last about 30 days and bring in an additional 600 to 1,000 contractors, doubling the workers from its 900 year-round employees. These contractors come from a variety of trades: electricians, welders, iron workers, mechanics, instruments techs, and even cooks for the cafeteria. Typically, these contractors work side by side with Dominion Energy employees to perform the many additional tasks involved in refueling and maintaining the reactors during an outage.
“The primary purpose of a refueling and maintenance outage is exactly that – refueling the reactor and conducting maintenance, particularly maintenance that we can’t do when the unit is online,” says Tim Eberly, Senior Communications Specialist at Dominion Energy.

Before restarting the reactor a series of inspections take place to ensure safety and efficacy before bringing the reactor back online to start generating energy again. More than just refueling, maintenance and repairs are performed during an outage. Any major capital improvement projects are typically undertaken during this period of time when the unit is offline, as well. Eberly shared that an upcoming project Dominion has planned is to add electrical infrastructure in connection with the planned data center that will be constructed near Lake Anna.

When asked how Virginia’s plans to build Small Modular Reactors (SMR) and possibly a nuclear fusion power plant in the coming years in the Commonwealth would affect the North Anna Power Station, Eberly stated that neither of those potential projects would affect operations at the Dominion plant. An extension of operating licenses for the two reactors at North Anna means that the plant’s reactors can operate through 2058 and 2060, respectively, and the current plans are for operations to continue until those dates.

Jennifer Christian

Jennifer Christian is a Lake Anna watercolor artist and designer. Coming from the Detroit area in early 2019, she fell in love with the natural beauty of the lake and surrounding fields and forests. Much of her artwork looks to capture the essence of the lake and its surroundings. Known for her community-minded entrepreneurial spirit, she is the creative mind behind Lake Anna-opoly, a beloved board game inspired by the local businesses and organizations of Lake Anna. Jennifer’s game has become a local favorite and has brought joy to rainy days for many families and friends in our community. Jennifer’s paintings, prints, greeting cards, and other merchandise can be found in stores around town and on her website at jenniferchristianart.com. She has also worked with several local organizations and businesses on the logo and sign designs you see around town. Outside of her artistic endeavors, Jennifer is a devoted mother to two boys and wife to Jonathan Christian, founder of LASER Robotics and the LASA Soccer Challenge Program. In addition, she founded and oversees the Lake Anna Homeschool group.