Nuclear energy may have big future in Virginia: study
Virginia could supply virtually all of its future energy needs from nuclear power and even become a player in the global market to supply power from nuclear sources, according to a new think tank report released Wednesday.
The case for the Old Dominion’s potential nuclear future was outlined in a new analysis from the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy, which argued that with the proper investments, Virginia could emerge as the newest contender in the international nuclear power market.
The study’s authors, technology business consultant Robert Hartwell and Donald Hoffman, chairman of the Virginia Nuclear Energy Consortium Authority, argue that Virginia, one of the most energy-dependent states in the country, would benefit environmentally and economically from a transition to nuclear power.
Virginia is behind only California in its reliance on out-of-state power sources, importing over 50 percent of its current power needs. With a projected 4,000 megawatts of additional power needed by Virginia by 2021, the study suggests that just four new nuclear power plants would do the job better than any other alternatives.
