US-based Westinghouse Electric Company has signed a contract with power utility Dominion Energy to design, manufacture, and deliver replacement steam generators at Surry Nuclear Power Station in Virginia.

Westinghouse and Dominion will engineer and manufacture six steam generators for delivery in 2028 for installation in 2029. The contract supports Dominion’s Subsequent Licence Renewal (SLR) programme to extend the operating life of Surry units 1&2, ensuring the continued delivery of electricity until 2053.

This follows a 2021 contract awarded to Framatome for a major Instrumentation and Control (I&C) upgrade. “Our long-term partnership with Westinghouse supports our efforts to extend Surry’s nuclear energy production for decades to come,” said Dan Stoddard, Senior Vice President & Chief Nuclear Officer at Dominion. “These industry-leading steam generators will help Dominion deliver safe and efficient nuclear energy into the middle of the 21st century,” said Dan Sumner, Westinghouse President of Operating Plant Services.

The steam generators will be fabricated at the state-of-the-art Westinghouse Italy (WEI) facility in Monfalcone, and are based on Westinghouse’s original F-Series units, but with multiple enhancements.

Surry 1&2 are both 838 MWe Westinghouse pressurised water reactors. Surry 1 began commercial operation in 1972, followed by Surry 2 a year later. The units were originally licensed to operate for 40 years, but in 2003 the operating licences were renewed for 20 additional years. In 2021, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approved a request from Dominion Energy to extend the operating licences of the units for an additional 20 years.

The licences will now expire in 2052 and 2053.

Image (top): Westinghouse CEO Patrick Fragman (L) and Dominion Energy CEO Bob Blue (R) (courtesy of Westinghouse)

Image (bottom): The Surry nuclear power plant in Virginia (courtesy of Dominion Energy)