HANOVER, Va. (WTVR)—A spokesperson with Dominion confirmed that one of its two nuclear reactors automatically shut down today.
Last week the unit was restarted after repairs. The shutdown today occurred early, just before two in the morning.
Rick Zuercher with Dominion confirmed that a preliminary report was filed with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory COommission and it said that all systems functioned as required in the shutdown. Unit 1 at North Anna was unaffected.
Unit 2 is more than three decades old and is licensed to operarte until 2040. Zuercher said that the shutdown was traced to four valves that regulate the flow of steam in the turbine system, which spins the unit’s generator.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that a nuclear reactor shutdown is costly for Dominion. When one is offline, the paper reports, it can cost as much as $500,000 to $1 million a day for replacement power.
