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111-740: The company acquired Questar Corporation in the Western United States , including parts of Utah and Wyoming, in September 2016. In January 2019, Dominion Energy completed its acquisition of SCANA Corporation . The company's asset portfolio includes 27,000 megawatts of power generation, 6,000 miles (9,700 km) of electric transmission lines, 54,000 miles (87,000 km) of distribution lines, 14,000 miles (23,000 km) of natural gas transmission, gathering and storage pipeline, and 1.2 trillion cubic feet (34 km) equivalent of natural gas and oil reserves. Dominion also operates

222-626: A fly ash dump near the Clinch River (a source of drinking water) are also of concern. The plant would also continue to support mountaintop removal coal mining. Supporters, including Governor Tim Kaine , stated that as one of the largest importers of electricity, Virginia could become less dependent on importing electricity from other states with a new power plant. The plant brought 1000 workers to build, and will employ 130 full-time, as well as pay 4 to 7 million dollars of tax revenue yearly to economically depressed Wise County. In September 2008,

333-403: A neutron hits the nucleus of a uranium-235 or plutonium atom, it can split the nucleus into two smaller nuclei, which is a nuclear fission reaction. The reaction releases energy and neutrons. The released neutrons can hit other uranium or plutonium nuclei, causing new fission reactions, which release more energy and more neutrons. This is called a chain reaction . In most commercial reactors,

444-496: A nuclear renaissance , an increase in the construction of new reactors, due to concerns about carbon dioxide emissions . During this period, newer generation III reactors , such as the EPR began construction. Prospects of a nuclear renaissance were delayed by another nuclear accident. The 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident was caused by the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami , one of

555-756: A wooded portion of the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Trail between Leesburg and Clarks Gap in Loudoun County , which Dominion again claimed was necessary for power reliability. Less than three weeks later, on March 4 and March 5, 2008, the Senate and the House of Delegates of the Virginia General Assembly unanimously passed emergency legislation that ordered the SCC to approve

666-526: A 605 MWe coal fired power station in Wise County, Virginia in June 2008. As of December 2009, the construction had reached the halfway point, with the plant scheduled to be fully operational in mid-2012. Dominion calls the plant the " Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center ," which has been criticized by environmentalists as a way to make the plant sound environmentally friendly. The plant does however have

777-762: A deal was announced, Enbridge completed the purchase of Questar Gas for $ 4.3 billion. Nuclear power Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity . Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission , nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced by nuclear fission of uranium and plutonium in nuclear power plants . Nuclear decay processes are used in niche applications such as radioisotope thermoelectric generators in some space probes such as Voyager 2 . Reactors producing controlled fusion power have been operated since 1958, but have yet to generate net power and are not expected to be commercially available in

888-839: A final discharge permit called a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) for the Brayton Point Power Station requiring significant reductions in thermal discharges to, and water intake from, Mount Hope Bay . In 2002, Dominion was responsible for 1,110,703 pounds of gastrointestinal or liver toxicant emissions, 1,440,000 pounds of musculoskeletal toxicant emissions, and 1,489,763 pounds of suspected respiratory toxicant emissions, and 1,478,383 pounds of suspected skin or sense organ toxicant emissions among other emissions that are suspected to be hazardous. Questar Corporation (gas company) 40°46′N 111°53′W  /  40.767°N 111.883°W  / 40.767; -111.883 Questar Corporation

999-410: A low-level waste disposal site. In countries with nuclear power, radioactive wastes account for less than 1% of total industrial toxic wastes, much of which remains hazardous for long periods. Overall, nuclear power produces far less waste material by volume than fossil-fuel based power plants. Coal-burning plants, in particular, produce large amounts of toxic and mildly radioactive ash resulting from

1110-728: A more unified energy company. In 2007, as part of another effort to refocus on core electric and gas operations, Dominion sold most of its Houston -based natural gas and oil exploration and production business for pre-tax proceeds of nearly $ 14 billion. Its onshore US oil and gas reserves were sold in separate deals to Loews Corporation and to XTO Energy , while its Gulf of Mexico reserves were sold to Eni , and its Canadian reserves were sold to two Canadian trusts. Dominion still retains some production areas in Appalachia , however. In February 2016, Dominion Resources announced that it would be acquiring Questar Corporation . The acquisition

1221-533: A reactor. Spent thorium fuel, although more difficult to handle than spent uranium fuel, may present somewhat lower proliferation risks. The nuclear industry also produces a large volume of low-level waste , with low radioactivity, in the form of contaminated items like clothing, hand tools, water purifier resins, and (upon decommissioning) the materials of which the reactor itself is built. Low-level waste can be stored on-site until radiation levels are low enough to be disposed of as ordinary waste, or it can be sent to

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1332-644: A regulated monopoly . In 1940, VEPCO doubled its service territory by merging with the Virginia Public Service Company. The transit operations were sold in 1944. In 1980, VEPCO began branding itself as "Virginia Power," while branding its North Carolina operations as "North Carolina Power." Three years later, VEPCO reorganized as a holding company, Dominion Resources. By 1985, Dominion split its distribution operations among two operating companies: Virginia Power (operating in Virginia and

1443-1087: A shortage near the end of the century. A 2017 study by researchers from MIT and WHOI found that "at the current consumption rate, global conventional reserves of terrestrial uranium (approximately 7.6 million tonnes) could be depleted in a little over a century". Limited uranium-235 supply may inhibit substantial expansion with the current nuclear technology. While various ways to reduce dependence on such resources are being explored, new nuclear technologies are considered to not be available in time for climate change mitigation purposes or competition with alternatives of renewables in addition to being more expensive and require costly research and development. A study found it to be uncertain whether identified resources will be developed quickly enough to provide uninterrupted fuel supply to expanded nuclear facilities and various forms of mining may be challenged by ecological barriers, costs, and land requirements. Researchers also report considerable import dependence of nuclear energy. Unconventional uranium resources also exist. Uranium

1554-405: A significant effect on countries, such as France and Japan , which had relied more heavily on oil for electric generation to invest in nuclear power. France would construct 25 nuclear power plants over the next 15 years, and as of 2019, 71% of French electricity was generated by nuclear power, the highest percentage by any nation in the world. Some local opposition to nuclear power emerged in

1665-659: A total enterprise value worth $ 14 billion. Dominion has four operating segments: Dominion generates electricity for both regulated sale in its Virginia and North Carolina markets, and also for wholesale in other markets in the Northeast and Midwest United States. Electricity generation is the largest unit of Dominion. Dominion is a regulated electric utility that transmits, and distributes electricity from its power plants in Virginia , North Carolina, Connecticut, and West Virginia to customers. Dominion Exploration and Production

1776-425: A typical nuclear power station are often stored on site in dry cask storage vessels. Presently, waste is mainly stored at individual reactor sites and there are over 430 locations around the world where radioactive material continues to accumulate. Disposal of nuclear waste is often considered the most politically divisive aspect in the lifecycle of a nuclear power facility. The lack of movement of nuclear waste in

1887-490: Is high-level radioactive waste . While its radioactivity decreases exponentially, it must be isolated from the biosphere for hundreds of thousands of years, though newer technologies (like fast reactors ) have the potential to significantly reduce this. Because the spent fuel is still mostly fissionable material, some countries (e.g. France and Russia ) reprocess their spent fuel by extracting fissile and fertile elements for fabrication into new fuel, although this process

1998-408: Is spent nuclear fuel , which is considered high-level waste . For Light Water Reactors (LWRs), spent fuel is typically composed of 95% uranium, 4% fission products , and about 1% transuranic actinides (mostly plutonium , neptunium and americium ). The fission products are responsible for the bulk of the short-term radioactivity, whereas the plutonium and other transuranics are responsible for

2109-725: Is 89%. Most new reactors under construction are generation III reactors in Asia. Proponents contend that nuclear power is a safe, sustainable energy source that reduces carbon emissions . This is because nuclear power generation causes one of the lowest levels of fatalities per unit of energy generated compared to other energy sources. Coal, petroleum, natural gas and hydroelectricity have each caused more fatalities per unit of energy due to air pollution and accidents . Nuclear power plants also emit no greenhouse gases and result in less life-cycle carbon emissions than common "renewables". The radiological hazards associated with nuclear power are

2220-486: Is a fairly common element in the Earth's crust: it is approximately as common as tin or germanium , and is about 40 times more common than silver . Uranium is present in trace concentrations in most rocks, dirt, and ocean water, but is generally economically extracted only where it is present in relatively high concentrations. Uranium mining can be underground, open-pit , or in-situ leach mining. An increasing number of

2331-461: Is also produced during plant decommissioning. There are two broad categories of nuclear waste: low-level waste and high-level waste. The first has low radioactivity and includes contaminated items such as clothing, which poses limited threat. High-level waste is mainly the spent fuel from nuclear reactors, which is very radioactive and must be cooled and then safely disposed of or reprocessed. The most important waste stream from nuclear power reactors

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2442-489: Is also safer in terms of nuclear proliferation potential. Reprocessing has the potential to recover up to 95% of the uranium and plutonium fuel in spent nuclear fuel, as well as reduce long-term radioactivity within the remaining waste. However, reprocessing has been politically controversial because of the potential for nuclear proliferation and varied perceptions of increasing the vulnerability to nuclear terrorism . Reprocessing also leads to higher fuel cost compared to

2553-575: Is also waiving late and reconnection fees. The company has also directed its charitable foundation to provide $ 1 million in aid to help individuals and organizations fighting COVID-19. The $ 1 million will be offered to national groups like the American Red Cross and local organizations the company identifies. A number of controversies have surrounded the company's decisions to develop new routes for its electric power transmission lines. On February 13, 2007, The Washington Post reported that

2664-498: Is considered the worst nuclear disaster in history both in total casualties, with 56 direct deaths, and financially, with the cleanup and the cost estimated at 18   billion   Rbls (US$ 68   billion in 2019, adjusted for inflation). The international organization to promote safety awareness and the professional development of operators in nuclear facilities, the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO),

2775-410: Is contained within sixteen casks. It is estimated that to produce a lifetime supply of energy for a person at a western standard of living (approximately 3   GWh ) would require on the order of the volume of a soda can of low enriched uranium , resulting in a similar volume of spent fuel generated. Following interim storage in a spent fuel pool , the bundles of used fuel rod assemblies of

2886-621: Is currently done in France, the United Kingdom, Russia, Japan, and India. In the United States, spent nuclear fuel is currently not reprocessed. The La Hague reprocessing facility in France has operated commercially since 1976 and is responsible for half the world's reprocessing as of 2010. It produces MOX fuel from spent fuel derived from several countries. More than 32,000 tonnes of spent fuel had been reprocessed as of 2015, with

2997-405: Is in the commissioning phase, with plans to build more. Another alternative to fast-neutron breeders are thermal-neutron breeder reactors that use uranium-233 bred from thorium as fission fuel in the thorium fuel cycle . Thorium is about 3.5 times more common than uranium in the Earth's crust, and has different geographic characteristics. India's three-stage nuclear power programme features

3108-424: Is more expensive than producing new fuel from mined uranium . All reactors breed some plutonium-239 , which is found in the spent fuel, and because Pu-239 is the preferred material for nuclear weapons , reprocessing is seen as a weapon proliferation risk. The first nuclear power plant was built in the 1950s. The global installed nuclear capacity grew to 100   GW in the late 1970s, and then expanded during

3219-521: Is much less radioactive than spent nuclear fuel by weight, coal ash is produced in much higher quantities per unit of energy generated. It is also released directly into the environment as fly ash , whereas nuclear plants use shielding to protect the environment from radioactive materials. Nuclear waste volume is small compared to the energy produced. For example, at Yankee Rowe Nuclear Power Station , which generated 44 billion kilowatt hours of electricity when in service, its complete spent fuel inventory

3330-478: Is naturally present in seawater at a concentration of about 3 micrograms per liter, with 4.4 billion tons of uranium considered present in seawater at any time. In 2014 it was suggested that it would be economically competitive to produce nuclear fuel from seawater if the process was implemented at large scale. Like fossil fuels, over geological timescales, uranium extracted on an industrial scale from seawater would be replenished by both river erosion of rocks and

3441-617: Is the reactor-grade plutonium (RGPu) that is extracted from spent fuel. It is mixed with uranium oxide and fabricated into mixed-oxide or MOX fuel . Because thermal LWRs remain the most common reactor worldwide, this type of recycling is the most common. It is considered to increase the sustainability of the nuclear fuel cycle, reduce the attractiveness of spent fuel to theft, and lower the volume of high level nuclear waste. Spent MOX fuel cannot generally be recycled for use in thermal-neutron reactors. This issue does not affect fast-neutron reactors , which are therefore preferred in order to achieve

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3552-458: Is then converted into a compact ore concentrate form, known as yellowcake (U 3 O 8 ), to facilitate transport. Fission reactors generally need uranium-235 , a fissile isotope of uranium . The concentration of uranium-235 in natural uranium is low (about 0.7%). Some reactors can use this natural uranium as fuel, depending on their neutron economy . These reactors generally have graphite or heavy water moderators. For light water reactors,

3663-681: The Greenbrier Valley of West Virginia) and North Carolina Power (operating in North Carolina). In 1986, Dominion gained territory by expanding in Northern Virginia after purchasing the Virginia distribution territory of Potomac Electric Power Company (PEPCO). In 1987, the West Virginia assets of Dominion were sold to Utilicorp United becoming branded as West Virginia Power, but Dominion retained ownership of

3774-522: The Mount Storm Power Station in West Virginia. (In 1999, West Virginia Power would be sold to Allegheny Energy and folded into its Monongahela Power subsidiary; it and other Allegheny Energy subsidiaries have since been acquired in 2010 by FirstEnergy .) Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Dominion initiated a series of expansions into regulated and non-regulated energy businesses, both domestically and internationally. During that era,

3885-540: The Onkalo spent nuclear fuel repository of the Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant was under construction as of 2015. Most thermal-neutron reactors run on a once-through nuclear fuel cycle , mainly due to the low price of fresh uranium. However, many reactors are also fueled with recycled fissionable materials that remain in spent nuclear fuel. The most common fissionable material that is recycled

3996-439: The integral fast reactor and molten salt reactors , can use as fuel the plutonium and other actinides in spent fuel from light water reactors, thanks to their fast fission spectrum. This offers a potentially more attractive alternative to deep geological disposal. The thorium fuel cycle results in similar fission products, though creates a much smaller proportion of transuranic elements from neutron capture events within

4107-422: The thermal energy released from nuclear fission . A fission nuclear power plant is generally composed of: a nuclear reactor , in which the nuclear reactions generating heat take place; a cooling system, which removes the heat from inside the reactor; a steam turbine , which transforms the heat into mechanical energy ; an electric generator , which transforms the mechanical energy into electrical energy. When

4218-642: The 1980s, reaching 300   GW by 1990. The 1979 Three Mile Island accident in the United States and the 1986 Chernobyl disaster in the Soviet Union resulted in increased regulation and public opposition to nuclear power plants. These factors, along with high cost of construction, resulted in the global installed capacity only increasing to 392   GW by 2023. These plants supplied 2,602 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity in 2023, equivalent to about 9% of global electricity generation , and were

4329-766: The 2 billion year old natural nuclear fission reactors in Oklo , Gabon is cited as "a source of essential information today." Experts suggest that centralized underground repositories which are well-managed, guarded, and monitored, would be a vast improvement. There is an "international consensus on the advisability of storing nuclear waste in deep geological repositories ". With the advent of new technologies, other methods including horizontal drillhole disposal into geologically inactive areas have been proposed. There are no commercial scale purpose built underground high-level waste repositories in operation. However, in Finland

4440-731: The 2008 report (Dominion ranked 27th with a Toxic Score of 58,642) and the 2005 report (Dominion ranked 19th with a Toxic Score of 117,712) In December 2007, a settlement between the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Dominion Energy of Brayton Point called for the company's power generating plant to install new closed cycle cooling towers that provided significant protection to aquatic organisms in Mount Hope Bay , which flows into Narragansett Bay . The 2007 settlement resolved an ongoing dispute that began in 2003. The EPA issued

4551-507: The 2011 disaster. Kishida is also pushing for research and construction of new safer nuclear plants to safeguard Japanese consumers from the fluctuating price of the fossil fuel market and reduce Japan's greenhouse gas emissions. Kishida intends to have Japan become a significant exporter of nuclear energy and technology to developing countries around the world. By 2015, the IAEA's outlook for nuclear energy had become more promising, recognizing

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4662-594: The Dominion PAC donated a total of $ 814,885 with 56% going to Republicans and 41% to Democrats . In 2008, the PAC donated $ 539,038 with 50% going to Republicans and 47% to Democrats. In the 2016 election cycle, the PAC contributed $ 1,276,016.17 to various political candidates and committees. Lobbyists for Dominion worked to pass West Virginia's Critical Infrastructure Protection Act, a 2021 law creating felony penalties for protests targeting oil and gas facilities, which

4773-622: The PWR being the reactor of choice also for power generation, thus having a lasting impact on the civilian electricity market in the years to come. On June 27, 1954, the Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant in the USSR became the world's first nuclear power plant to generate electricity for a power grid , producing around 5 megawatts of electric power. The world's first commercial nuclear power station, Calder Hall at Windscale, England

4884-656: The U.S. In 2017, Dominion was listed at #238 on the Fortune 500 . A book about the company's 100-year history, Dominion’s First Century: A Legacy of Service , was published in 2010. In 2022, 18 percent of Dominion's total electric production came from coal , 23 percent from nuclear power , 48 percent from natural gas , and 11 percent from Hydro and other renewables. A strategy is being developed for renewable energy sources, primarily wind and biomass , and conservation and efficiency programs to play an increasingly important role in meeting future energy needs and minimizing

4995-585: The United States in the early 1960s. In the late 1960s, some members of the scientific community began to express pointed concerns. These anti-nuclear concerns related to nuclear accidents , nuclear proliferation , nuclear terrorism and radioactive waste disposal . In the early 1970s, there were large protests about a proposed nuclear power plant in Wyhl , Germany. The project was cancelled in 1975. The anti-nuclear success at Wyhl inspired opposition to nuclear power in other parts of Europe and North America. By

5106-401: The United States, over 120 Light Water Reactor proposals were ultimately cancelled and the construction of new reactors ground to a halt. The 1979 accident at Three Mile Island with no fatalities, played a major part in the reduction in the number of new plant constructions in many countries. During the 1980s one new nuclear reactor started up every 17 days on average. By the end of

5217-791: The Western Public Service Corporation in October 1928. Mountain Fuel Supply Company became the company's hydrocarbon exploration and production affiliate. During the Great Depression , its stock price fell from $ 46/share in September 1929 to $ 3/share in 1932 as most families could not afford natural gas. In 1935, the shareholders voted to reorganize the company, merging it with its subsidiaries and moving its headquarters from Pittsburgh to Salt Lake City. Mountain Fuel Supply Company became

5328-640: The actinides (the most active and dangerous components) in the present inventory of nuclear waste, while also producing power and creating additional quantities of fuel for more reactors via the breeding process. As of 2017, there are two breeders producing commercial power, BN-600 reactor and the BN-800 reactor , both in Russia. The Phénix breeder reactor in France was powered down in 2009 after 36 years of operation. Both China and India are building breeder reactors. The Indian 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor

5439-568: The area serviced by the imported gas would not cause additional leaks in the District of Columbia and Northern Virginia suburbs. In 2010, the Political Economy Research Institute ranked Dominion Resources 51st among corporations emitting airborne pollutants in the United States . Dominion's Toxic Score of 16,656 (pounds released × toxicity × population exposure) represents a significant improvement from both

5550-593: The building of larger single-purpose production reactors for the production of weapons-grade plutonium for use in the first nuclear weapons. The United States tested the first nuclear weapon in July 1945, the Trinity test , and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki happened one month later. Despite the military nature of the first nuclear devices, there was strong optimism in the 1940s and 1950s that nuclear power could provide cheap and endless energy. Electricity

5661-702: The bulk of the long-term radioactivity. High-level waste (HLW) must be stored isolated from the biosphere with sufficient shielding so as to limit radiation exposure. After being removed from the reactors, used fuel bundles are stored for six to ten years in spent fuel pools , which provide cooling and shielding against radiation. After that, the fuel is cool enough that it can be safely transferred to dry cask storage . The radioactivity decreases exponentially with time, such that it will have decreased by 99.5% after 100 years. The more intensely radioactive short-lived fission products (SLFPs) decay into stable elements in approximately 300 years, and after about 100,000 years,

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5772-619: The company acquired Interstate Brick, the largest brick-making facility in the Western United States. It was sold in 1990. In 1972, the company discovered the Brady field, about 30 miles southeast of Wyoming. In 1976, certain shareholders attempted to replace management. At issue was whether management would "acknowledge or act upon the fact that the company was more of an oil company than a natural gas utility". In 1984, Mountain Fuel Supply Company shareholders voted to return to

5883-626: The company also established itself as a world-class operator of nuclear power stations . In 2000, Dominion bought Consolidated Natural Gas Company (CNG) of Pittsburgh , and added natural gas service to its energy delivery network in the energy-intensive markets in the Northeastern quadrant of the U.S. In 2001, Dominion bought Louis Dreyfus Natural Gas Company , adding to its natural gas delivery network. Dominion re-branded all of its operations in 2000 to Dominion from Virginia and North Carolina Power as well as Consolidated Gas in order to create

5994-771: The company's environmental footprint. Dominion's corporate roots reach back to the Colonial era through predecessor companies that operated canal and river barging, street lighting, railways, and electric trolleys. In 1787, the Virginia General Assembly created the Appomattox Trustees to promote navigation along the Appomattox River . In 1795, the trustees formed the Upper Appomattox Company to build dams along

6105-415: The concentration of naturally occurring radioactive materials in coal. A 2008 report from Oak Ridge National Laboratory concluded that coal power actually results in more radioactivity being released into the environment than nuclear power operation, and that the population effective dose equivalent from radiation from coal plants is 100 times that from the operation of nuclear plants. Although coal ash

6216-747: The country's second offshore wind project, but the first of its kind to be installed in federal waters, sited roughly 27 miles off the Virginian coast. Dominion currently has two turbines constructed as a pilot project, planning for all turbines to be in place by 2026. In December 2020, the keel was laid for the project's novel Jones Act -compliant offshore WTIV , the Charybdis , under construction at Keppel AmFELS shipyards in Brownsville, Texas . The Dominion Political Action Committee (PAC) has been very active in donating to Virginia candidates. In 2009,

6327-747: The cusp of World War II , in order to develop a nuclear weapon . In the United States, these research efforts led to the creation of the first man-made nuclear reactor, the Chicago Pile-1 under the Stagg Field stadium at the University of Chicago , which achieved criticality on December 2, 1942. The reactor's development was part of the Manhattan Project , the Allied effort to create atomic bombs during World War II. It led to

6438-409: The decade, global installed nuclear capacity reached 300   GW. Since the late 1980s, new capacity additions slowed significantly, with the installed nuclear capacity reaching 366   GW in 2005. The 1986 Chernobyl disaster in the USSR , involving an RBMK reactor, altered the development of nuclear power and led to a greater focus on meeting international safety and regulatory standards. It

6549-472: The disaster, Japan shut down all of its nuclear power reactors, some of them permanently, and in 2015 began a gradual process to restart the remaining 40 reactors, following safety checks and based on revised criteria for operations and public approval. In 2022, the Japanese government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida , declared that 10 more nuclear power plants were to be reopened since

6660-456: The full energy potential of the original uranium. The main constituent of spent fuel from LWRs is slightly enriched uranium . This can be recycled into reprocessed uranium (RepU), which can be used in a fast reactor, used directly as fuel in CANDU reactors, or re-enriched for another cycle through an LWR. Re-enriching of reprocessed uranium is common in France and Russia. Reprocessed uranium

6771-521: The heart of France's drive for carbon neutrality by 2050. Meanwhile, in the United States, the Department of Energy , in collaboration with commercial entities, TerraPower and X-energy , is planning on building two different advanced nuclear reactors by 2027, with further plans for nuclear implementation in its long term green energy and energy security goals. Nuclear power plants are thermal power stations that generate electricity by harnessing

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6882-578: The highest output mines are remote underground operations, such as McArthur River uranium mine , in Canada, which by itself accounts for 13% of global production. As of 2011 the world's known resources of uranium, economically recoverable at the arbitrary price ceiling of US$ 130/kg, were enough to last for between 70 and 100 years. In 2007, the OECD estimated 670 years of economically recoverable uranium in total conventional resources and phosphate ores assuming

6993-862: The holding company structure, and chose the name Questar Corporation as the new parent holding company name. In 1989, the company established a subsidiary, Questar Telecom, which acquired specialized mobile radio operations. It also formed FuelMaker, a joint venture to market a new device that would allow natural gas vehicles to be refueled at home. In 1993, the company had three major lines of business: exploration and production activities conducted by Wexpro Company, Celsius Energy Company, and Universal Resources Corporation; interstate transmission activities conducted by Questar Pipeline Company; and retail distribution activities conducted by Mountain Fuel. In 1994, it acquired oil and gas properties from Union Pacific Resources for $ 94.5 million. In August, Questar Telecom

7104-425: The importance of low-carbon generation for mitigating climate change . As of 2015 , the global trend was for new nuclear power stations coming online to be balanced by the number of old plants being retired. In 2016, the U.S. Energy Information Administration projected for its "base case" that world nuclear power generation would increase from 2,344 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2012 to 4,500   TWh in 2040. Most of

7215-574: The largest earthquakes ever recorded. The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant suffered three core meltdowns due to failure of the emergency cooling system for lack of electricity supply. This resulted in the most serious nuclear accident since the Chernobyl disaster. The accident prompted a re-examination of nuclear safety and nuclear energy policy in many countries. Germany approved plans to close all its reactors by 2022, and many other countries reviewed their nuclear power programs. Following

7326-551: The late 1970s. During the 1970s and 1980s rising economic costs (related to extended construction times largely due to regulatory changes and pressure-group litigation) and falling fossil fuel prices made nuclear power plants then under construction less attractive. In the 1980s in the U.S. and 1990s in Europe, the flat electric grid growth and electricity liberalization also made the addition of large new baseload energy generators economically unattractive. The 1973 oil crisis had

7437-516: The life of nuclear fuel to a few years. In some countries, such as the United States, spent fuel is classified in its entirety as a nuclear waste. In other countries, such as France, it is largely reprocessed to produce a partially recycled fuel, known as mixed oxide fuel or MOX . For spent fuel that does not undergo reprocessing, the most concerning isotopes are the medium-lived transuranic elements , which are led by reactor-grade plutonium (half-life 24,000 years). Some proposed reactor designs, such as

7548-631: The line, saying that there was no real need, and that Dominion was trying to bring cheap electricity from the Midwest . Dominion contested, saying that the line would bring needed electricity to growing Northern Virginia . The proposal was accepted by the State Corporation Commission (SCC) on October 7, 2008. On February 15, 2008, the SCC approved a controversial proposal for a 230 kV Dominion Virginia transmission line that would travel above ground for 1.8 miles (2.9 km) along

7659-719: The majority from France, 17% from Germany, and 9% from Japan. Breeding is the process of converting non-fissile material into fissile material that can be used as nuclear fuel. The non-fissile material that can be used for this process is called fertile material , and constitute the vast majority of current nuclear waste. This breeding process occurs naturally in breeder reactors . As opposed to light water thermal-neutron reactors, which use uranium-235 (0.7% of all natural uranium), fast-neutron breeder reactors use uranium-238 (99.3% of all natural uranium) or thorium. A number of fuel cycles and breeder reactor combinations are considered to be sustainable or renewable sources of energy. In 2006 it

7770-488: The mid-1970s anti-nuclear activism gained a wider appeal and influence, and nuclear power began to become an issue of major public protest. In some countries, the nuclear power conflict "reached an intensity unprecedented in the history of technology controversies". The increased public hostility to nuclear power led to a longer license procurement process, more regulations and increased requirements for safety equipment, which made new construction much more expensive. In

7881-437: The most common type of reactor, this concentration is too low, and it must be increased by a process called uranium enrichment . In civilian light water reactors, uranium is typically enriched to 3.5–5% uranium-235. The uranium is then generally converted into uranium oxide (UO 2 ), a ceramic, that is then compressively sintered into fuel pellets, a stack of which forms fuel rods of the proper composition and geometry for

7992-418: The most hazardous substances in nuclear waste), there is an estimated 160,000 years worth of uranium in total conventional resources and phosphate ore at the price of 60–100 US$ /kg. However, reprocessing is expensive, possibly dangerous and can be used to manufacture nuclear weapons. One analysis found that uranium prices could increase by two orders of magnitude between 2035 and 2100 and that there could be

8103-424: The most stringent air permit for any coal fired power plant in the nation currently. The plant will burn up to 20% biomass along with coal and a small amount of waste coal known as gob . The plant's carbon dioxide emissions are currently projected to be 5.4 million tons per year. High levels of mercury emitted from the plant, which is controlled by activated carbon injection to reduce the emissions, as well as

8214-614: The name of the reorganized consolidated company. In the mid-1930s, the company discovered natural gas in the Clay Basin region northeast of Utah. During World War II , the company was required by the War Production Board to halt new natural gas utility signups so that resources can be conserved for the war effort. In 1946, the company discovered the Church Buttes field in southwestern Wyoming. In 1971,

8325-542: The nation's largest natural gas storage facility, amounting to more than 975 billion cubic feet (2.76 × 10 m) of storage capacity. The company's Cove Point liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal on the Chesapeake Bay is one of the nation's largest and busiest facilities of its kind. Dominion serves more than 5 million retail energy customers in the Midwest, mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions of

8436-428: The natural process of uranium dissolved from the surface area of the ocean floor, both of which maintain the solubility equilibria of seawater concentration at a stable level. Some commentators have argued that this strengthens the case for nuclear power to be considered a renewable energy . The normal operation of nuclear power plants and facilities produce radioactive waste , or nuclear waste. This type of waste

8547-432: The near future. Most nuclear power plants use thermal reactors with enriched uranium in a once-through fuel cycle . Fuel is removed when the percentage of neutron absorbing atoms becomes so large that a chain reaction can no longer be sustained, typically three years. It is then cooled for several years in on-site spent fuel pools before being transferred to long-term storage. The spent fuel, though low in volume,

8658-416: The once-through fuel cycle. While reprocessing reduces the volume of high-level waste, it does not reduce the fission products that are the primary causes of residual heat generation and radioactivity for the first few centuries outside the reactor. Thus, reprocessed waste still requires an almost identical treatment for the initial first few hundred years. Reprocessing of civilian fuel from power reactors

8769-469: The particular reactor. After some time in the reactor, the fuel will have reduced fissile material and increased fission products, until its use becomes impractical. At this point, the spent fuel will be moved to a spent fuel pool which provides cooling for the thermal heat and shielding for ionizing radiation. After several months or years, the spent fuel is radioactively and thermally cool enough to be moved to dry storage casks or reprocessed. Uranium

8880-450: The pipeline in July 2020, citing cost increases due to lawsuits, largely from environmental groups opposed to the project. Dominion is constructing a massive offshore wind farm off of the coast of Virginia , the project being named Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind , or CVOW. This project will add more than 2,600 megawatts of clean energy to their grid, with 220 wind turbines capable of powering 650,000 homes at peak. This project will be

8991-438: The power company was planning to change the route of one 500 kV transmission line to appease critics in Northern Virginia from a route that would cut through protected forest and farmland to a southern route that would bypass nature preserves and Civil War sites by running adjacent to existing power lines. However, U.S. Congressional Representative Frank Wolf ( R - VA) and Governor Tim Kaine ( D ) remained opposed to

9102-497: The predicted increase was expected to be in Asia. As of 2018, there were over 150 nuclear reactors planned including 50 under construction. In January 2019, China had 45 reactors in operation, 13 under construction, and planned to build 43 more, which would make it the world's largest generator of nuclear electricity. As of 2021, 17 reactors were reported to be under construction. China built significantly fewer reactors than originally planned. Its share of electricity from nuclear power

9213-511: The primary motivations of the anti-nuclear movement , which contends that nuclear power poses many threats to people and the environment, citing the potential for accidents like the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan in 2011, and is too expensive/slow to deploy when compared to alternative sustainable energy sources. Nuclear fission was discovered in 1938 after over four decades of work on

9324-630: The private sector. The first organization to develop practical nuclear power was the U.S. Navy , with the S1W reactor for the purpose of propelling submarines and aircraft carriers . The first nuclear-powered submarine, USS  Nautilus , was put to sea in January 1954. The S1W reactor was a pressurized water reactor . This design was chosen because it was simpler, more compact, and easier to operate compared to alternative designs, thus more suitable to be used in submarines. This decision would result in

9435-442: The program recognizing top company volunteers. Dominion honors the volunteers by paying $ 1000 to the charity of the individual's choice. In 2016, twelve employees from Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia were selected. In 2020, Dominion responded to the coronavirus pandemic by stopping service disconnects for non-payment and helping customers who had been disconnected for not making payments to reconnect to its service. It

9546-462: The reaction rate is contained by control rods that absorb excess neutrons. The controllability of nuclear reactors depends on the fact that a small fraction of neutrons resulting from fission are delayed . The time delay between the fission and the release of the neutrons slows changes in reaction rates and gives time for moving the control rods to adjust the reaction rate. The life cycle of nuclear fuel starts with uranium mining . The uranium ore

9657-637: The restart of another ten reactors. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in July 2022 announced that the country should consider building advanced reactors and extending operating licences beyond 60 years. As of 2022, with world oil and gas prices on the rise, while Germany is restarting its coal plants to deal with loss of Russian gas that it needs to supplement its Energiewende , many other countries have announced ambitious plans to reinvigorate ageing nuclear generating capacity with new investments. French President Emmanuel Macron announced his intention to build six new reactors in coming decades, placing nuclear at

9768-407: The risks before opening the plant. In 2005, Washington Gas claimed that the natural gas imported at the plant was too "hot," meaning that it contained fewer heavy hydrocarbons and burned hotter. Washington Gas said that the hot gas caused problems for its customers and caused many of its mains to break. Dominion denied that the imported gas was the cause of the breaks and stated that expanding

9879-496: The river for industrial use, beginning Dominion's history. In 1901, the water rights passed to the newly formed Virginia Passenger & Power Company. Dominion's closest direct corporate ancestor, Virginia Railway & Power Company, was founded by Frank Jay Gould on June 29, 1909. It bought Virginia Passenger & Power soon afterward. In 1925, the name was changed to the Virginia Electric and Power Company (VEPCO),

9990-450: The science of radioactivity and the elaboration of new nuclear physics that described the components of atoms . Soon after the discovery of the fission process, it was realized that a fissioning nucleus can induce further nucleus fissions, thus inducing a self-sustaining chain reaction. Once this was experimentally confirmed in 1939, scientists in many countries petitioned their governments for support for nuclear fission research, just on

10101-512: The second-largest low-carbon power source after hydroelectricity . As of November 2024, there are 415 civilian fission reactors in the world , with overall capacity of 374   GW, 66 under construction and 87 planned, with a combined capacity of 72   GW and 84   GW, respectively. The United States has the largest fleet of nuclear reactors, generating almost 800   TWh of low-carbon electricity per year with an average capacity factor of 92%. The average global capacity factor

10212-699: The site was blockaded by activists from the Rainforest Action Network . In 2001 when Dominion's Dominion Cove Point LNG subsidiary was scheduled to reopen, many local residents were concerned about the proximity (only 3 miles) to the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant , and the damage that could be caused by an attack or an explosion at the plant. Residents thought that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission did not consider

10323-418: The size of the deal is estimated at $ 10 billion. In February 2022, Dominion Energy sold one of its subsidiary, Dominion Energy West Virginia, to Hearthstone Utilities Inc. for $ 690 million. Hearthstone will continue operations in West Virginia under the name: "Hope Gas". In September 2023, Enbridge agreed to acquire East Ohio Gas, Questar Gas , and Public Service Co. of North Carolina, from Dominion for

10434-426: The spent fuel becomes less radioactive than natural uranium ore. Commonly suggested methods to isolate LLFP waste from the biosphere include separation and transmutation , synroc treatments, or deep geological storage. Thermal-neutron reactors , which presently constitute the majority of the world fleet, cannot burn up the reactor grade plutonium that is generated during the reactor operation. This limits

10545-417: The then-current use rate. Light water reactors make relatively inefficient use of nuclear fuel, mostly using only the very rare uranium-235 isotope. Nuclear reprocessing can make this waste reusable, and newer reactors also achieve a more efficient use of the available resources than older ones. With a pure fast reactor fuel cycle with a burn up of all the uranium and actinides (which presently make up

10656-556: The underground construction of the line along that section of the trail as part of a four-part statewide pilot program for the development of underground transmission lines. Sponsored by Delegate Joe T. May ( R - Loudoun ), the legislation exempted the project from any requirements for further SCC analyses relating to the impacts of the route, including environmental impacts and impacts upon historical resources. The legislation went into effect when Virginia Governor Tim Kaine approved it on April 2, 2008. The company began constructing

10767-524: The use of a thorium fuel cycle in the third stage, as it has abundant thorium reserves but little uranium. Nuclear decommissioning is the process of dismantling a nuclear facility to the point that it no longer requires measures for radiation protection, returning the facility and its parts to a safe enough level to be entrusted for other uses. Due to the presence of radioactive materials, nuclear decommissioning presents technical and economic challenges. The costs of decommissioning are generally spread over

10878-513: The year 2022. The program was launched under the authority of the Grid Transformation & Security Act, a state law signed by Virginia Governor Ralph Northam . "The law paves the way for expanded investments in renewable energy , smart grid technology, a stronger, more secure grid and energy efficiency programs . . ." In July 2020, Dominion announced plans to sell natural gas transmission and storage assets to Berkshire Hathaway ;

10989-563: Was 5% in 2019 and observers have cautioned that, along with the risks, the changing economics of energy generation may cause new nuclear energy plants to "no longer make sense in a world that is leaning toward cheaper, more reliable renewable energy". In October 2021, the Japanese cabinet approved the new Plan for Electricity Generation to 2030 prepared by the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy (ANRE) and an advisory committee, following public consultation. The nuclear target for 2030 requires

11100-606: Was a natural gas public utility based in Salt Lake City, Utah . In June 2024, it was reported that Enbridge had completed its acquisition of the company for $ 4.3 billion. Questar Corporation was organized in Utah in 1984 as the holding company for Mountain Fuel Supply Company. In 1922, the Ohio Oil Company discovered natural gas near Rock Springs, Wyoming . Ohio Oil merged with two other companies to form

11211-518: Was a partner in a joint venture that planned to build the 600 miles (970 km) Atlantic Coast Pipeline , a natural gas pipeline to run between West Virginia and North Carolina. Though the project had faced stiff opposition from environmental and community heritage groups along its route, ground was broken on the pipeline in Lewis County, West Virginia, in May 2018. Dominion and Duke Energy canceled

11322-440: Was acquired by Diamondback Energy . In March 2012, the company moved from 180 East 100 South to its new headquarters building, a $ 45 million 170,000 square foot 6-story building at 333 South State Street in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. It is one of the first LEED Silver energy-efficient buildings in downtown Salt Lake City. In September 2016, the company was acquired by Dominion Resources . In June 2024, nine months after

11433-455: Was completed in September 2016. In 2017, Dominion Resources rebranded itself to Dominion Energy, following with a new logo. In January 2018, Reuters reported that Dominion Energy would be buying SCANA Corporation for $ 7.9 billion.; the acquisition was completed in January 2019. In the summer of 2018, Dominion Energy launched a "grid transformation program." The program's aim was to build 3,000 megawatts worth of new solar and wind energy by

11544-466: Was connected to the national power grid on 27 August 1956. In common with a number of other generation I reactors , the plant had the dual purpose of producing electricity and plutonium-239 , the latter for the nascent nuclear weapons program in Britain . The total global installed nuclear capacity initially rose relatively quickly, rising from less than 1 gigawatt (GW) in 1960 to 100   GW in

11655-399: Was created as a direct outcome of the 1986 Chernobyl accident. The Chernobyl disaster played a major part in the reduction in the number of new plant constructions in the following years. Influenced by these events, Italy voted against nuclear power in a 1987 referendum, becoming the first country to completely phase out nuclear power in 1990. In the early 2000s, nuclear energy was expecting

11766-598: Was described by its sponsor John Kelly as having been "requested by the natural gas industry". Dominion's social investment program is carried out primarily through the Dominion Foundation, which gives about $ 20 million each year to charities in the states in which Dominion does business. Dominion also has the Benjamin J. Lambert, III, Volunteer of the Year Program. 2017 was the thirty-third year of

11877-420: Was estimated that with seawater extraction, there was likely five billion years' worth of uranium resources for use in breeder reactors. Breeder technology has been used in several reactors, but as of 2006, the high cost of reprocessing fuel safely requires uranium prices of more than US$ 200/kg before becoming justified economically. Breeder reactors are however being developed for their potential to burn all of

11988-692: Was generated for the first time by a nuclear reactor on December 20, 1951, at the EBR-I experimental station near Arco, Idaho , which initially produced about 100   kW . In 1953, American President Dwight Eisenhower gave his " Atoms for Peace " speech at the United Nations , emphasizing the need to develop "peaceful" uses of nuclear power quickly. This was followed by the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 which allowed rapid declassification of U.S. reactor technology and encouraged development by

12099-621: Was replaced by Alan K. Allred. In 2005, Knox Lawrence International acquired Consonus Inc., Consonus Inc., a Questar Corp. subsidiary that managed computer data centers for businesses. In November 2006, the company was added to the S&;P 500 . It was removed from the index in 2010. On July 1, 2010, the company completed the corporate spin-off of its exploration and production business as QEP Resources. In December 2015, Tesoro Logistics LP acquired its natural-gas pipeline and processing business for $ 2.5 billion in cash. In 2021, QEP Resources

12210-514: Was sold to Nextel Communications for 3.9 million shares of stock. On January 1, 1998, Mountain Fuel Supply Company was renamed Questar Gas Company. In September, the company acquired HSRTW Inc., which owned oil and gas reserves in Oklahoma, for $ 155 million. In 2001, the company acquired Shenandoah Energy for $ 406 million in cash and assumed debt. In April 2003, D. N. "Nick" Rose, president and chief executive officer of Questar, retired and

12321-456: Was the natural gas and oil exploration and production subsidiary of Dominion, and by 2007 was one of the largest independent natural gas and oil operators. During 2007, Dominion sold the majority of its oil and natural gas exploration and production assets to put additional focus on growing its electric generation and energy distribution, transmission, storage and retail businesses mainly in Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Dominion

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