#north anna nuclear generating station

[the-ark-awaits]

make a post about the nuclear powerplant thing!

THANK YOU I FORGOR

so. theres this place in virgina, its the north anna nuclear generating station, right? it was a 4.5 star rating with 54 reviews.

pretty cool! i love nuclear power! this station powers something like half the homes in the state or some shit. pretty poggers! now the intersting bit. again, it has 54 reviews! thats kinda a lot, especially for, yknow. a power plant. as expected, most of them are just star ratings, no text, standard, then you get the text ones, some pretty standard like this one

and this

oh people genuinely leaving good reviews and people leaving silly ones. but then, if you look, you see this

whats so special about november 15 2021? so, while my digging hasnt been able to reveal the actual source of this, the earliest mention of this is the screenshot above though i cant get a specific date on the review bc of how google works. the other two earliest mentions, besides other reviews, are an ifunny meme

and a reddit meme on r/oddlyspecific

at this point you get a bunch of reviews like these that seem to be people gladly joining in on the joke

now obviously, the reactor did not melt down. i assume part of this is spurred by fears set into motion because of the plant shutting down for a period of time in 2011 after a 5.8 (i think) magnitude earthquake sparkes an 'unusual event' which is the lowest rating an event can have in the us for nuclear powerplants. it basically means something happened but nothing harmful, from what it seems, all the safety stuff worked as intended! the other thing that may have spurred it on is that in 2021 the plant was like, almost 50 years ago. the average lifespan for a nuclear powerplant is 40-60 years, so people were and are a little antsy that it has yet to be shut down. the plant, however, from all the stuff i read, has been licensed to stay active until its around 80 barring any incidents! now a small event did happen around that timeframe, but it was of course, not a meltdown of any kind, and it happened on novmeber 10th. if youre curious, link here so at this point this seems to just be people being #sillay in the reviews for fun. some just toss in november 15th as if it get it keyworked in the commonly mentioned feature, which is curious. im sure it has something to do with this strange joke about a meltdown occurring. all these reviews are kinda the same so im skipping one, but shoutout to the review that tosses in the the icecream machine worked. love the mcdonalds shade. so then we get a new interesting one,

bro is out here writing powerplant urban legends on his own in the google reviews. so of course, other people join in

which is kinda cool! anyways this was buckwild to me and only me, and i found this while googling virginia nuclear powerplants at work bc i was bored. daniel, please come pick up your girlfriend, she doesnt have money for an uber. anyways thats the end of the nuclear powerplant lore, thanks for reading. NOTE: PLEASE DO NOT REVIEW SPAM THIS NUCLEAR POWER PLANT THANK YOU

[pinerair]

Hot pink pants

Interested in reading this whole article, click here to find out more: Ī. This year, Dominion Resource's charitable foundation along with its workers will contribute more than $20 million and 100, 000 volunteer hours in programs that help improve the lives of people in the United States. In the past quarter century, Dominion Resources has donated almost $2.5 million to the university. This donatation will be used to support student scholarships and academic programs at the university. The philanthropic sector of Dominion Resources has generously donated $1 million to Virgina Union University. Dominion Awards $1 Million Grant to Virginia Union University To find out more about Dominion's nuclear plans click here. According to Jim Norvelle, Dominion had decided to start a competitive bidding process to choose a new engineering, procurement and construction partner which will form a new nuclear reactor station at North Anna, Virginia. This agreement was intended to secure the development of a new nuclear plant in Virginia. Dominion unable to reach nuclear deal with GE Hitachiĭominion Resources was not able to make an agreement with GE Hitachi. The next quater results will be released on Jan.29th, 2009.ġ. The most recent quarter results were released on Oct. Dominion Resources operates over 975 billion cubic feet of storage room and serves retail energy customers in eleven states.ġ20 Tredegar Street Richmond, VA 23219 United Statesġ. The company owns the underground natural gas storage system. Dominion Resources portfolio consists of 26,500 megawatts of generation, 6,000 miles of electric transmission lines, 55,000 miles of electric distribution lines in Virginia and North Carolina, 14,000 miles of natural gas transmission, gathering and storage pipeline, 28,000 miles of gas distribution pipeline, exclusive of service lines of two inches in diameter or less, and 1.1 trillion cubic feet equivalent of natural gas and oil reserves. It works in 3 sectors: Dominion Virginia Power, Dominion Generation and Dominion Energy. 00ĭominion Resources produces and transports energy. You can find more information regarding Consolidated Water Company here: By Jan.29th, 2009 this dividend will be able to be payed by shareholders as the close of business occurs Jan.1st, 2009. has announced that its Board of Directors has stated a quaterly cash dividend of $0.065 per share. Declares First Quarter DividendĬonsolidated Water Co. To find out more about the Annual Water Utility Conference and the involvement that Condsolidated Water Company has in the conference click here: Ģ. David Sasnett, the Company's Chief Financial Officer, is going to be giving a presentation at 11:30 a.m. On Dec.3rd, 2008, Consolidated Resources announced that it will participate in the New York Society of Security Analysts' (NYSSA) 12th Annual Water Utility Conference on Thursday, December 4, 2008. to Present at NYSSA 12th Annual Water Utility Conference on December 4, 2008 The next quarter results will be released on March.16th, 2009ġ. The most recent quarter results were released on Nov.11th, 2008 Q3 2008 Earnings Conference Call - Nov.11th, 2008 New York Society of Security Analysts Water Utility Conference - Dec. Regatta Office Park, 4th Floor Windward Three, West Bay Road PO Box 1114 Grand Cayman, Cayman Islandsġ. The company serves its customers in the Cayman Islands, Belize, The British Virgin Islands and The Bahamas. In the company, retail water operations supply water to governments and wholesalers. Retail water operations, bulk water operations, services operations and affiliate operations are the companies four main business segments. Volumes of Shares Being Traded: 125, 495.00Ĭonsolidated Water Company has sea water desalination plants and water distribution systems in locations where naturally occuring quantities of potable water are minimal or nonexistant.

[newstfionline]

North Korea’s Kim appears to ease rhetoric in standoff over nuclear weapons

By Anna Fifield and Dan Lamothe, Washington Post, August 14, 2017

TOKYO--North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appeared to take a step back from the brink of nuclear war Tuesday, when state media reported that he would “watch a little more the foolish and stupid conduct of the Yankees.”

But, as is often the case with North Korea, the message was mixed: Kim was inspecting the missile unit tasked with preparing to strike near Guam, and photos released by state media showed a large satellite image of Andersen Air Force Base on Guam on the screen beside the leader.

“The U.S. should stop at once arrogant provocations against the DPRK and unilateral demands and not provoke it any longer,” the North Korean leader told his missile unit, according to a report from the state-run Korean Central News Agency published Tuesday.

If “the Yankees persist in their extremely dangerous reckless actions on the Korean peninsula and in its vicinity,” Kim continued, North Korea would “make an important decision as it already declared,” he said.

Kim was visiting the Strategic Force of the Korean People’s Army, the elite missile unit that--according to state media--is finalizing preparations to launch ballistic missiles into the Pacific Ocean near the American territory of Guam. A decision was due this week, a week during which the Kim regime is celebrating the ruling family with huge propaganda displays in North Korea.

Kim “praised the KPA Strategic Force for drawing up a close and careful plan ... and examined the firing preparations for power demonstration,” the report said.

“He said that he wants to advise the U.S., which is driving the situation on the Korean peninsula into the touch-and-go situation, running helter-skelter, to take into full account gains and losses with clear head whether the prevailing situation is more unfavorable for any party,” the report quoted Kim as saying.

This came just hours after the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told South Korean leaders Monday that the United States was ready to use the “full range” of its military capabilities to deal with North Korea.

But Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., speaking in Seoul, just 30 miles south of the border with North Korea, stressed that diplomacy and sanctions were the first plan of attack.

“The military dimension today is directly in support of that diplomatic and economic effort,” Dunford told reporters after meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Seoul.

“It would be a horrible thing were a war to be conducted here on the peninsula, and that’s why we’re so focused on coming up with a peaceful way ahead,” he said, according to Stars and Stripes.

“Nobody’s looking for war,” the Marine general said, according to the newspaper. But he added that the military’s job was to provide “viable military options in the event that deterrence fails.”

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Monday afternoon in Washington that it will be “game on” with North Korea if it hits the United States, including Guam, but he left it much more ambiguous what will happen if Pyongyang decides to shoot missiles near Guam, without attempting to hit the U.S. island territory.

“That becomes an issue that we take up, and it’s however the president chooses,” Mattis said. “You can’t make all of those kinds of decisions in advance. There is a host of things going on. There are allies we consult with, as the president made very clear last week when he talked about our allies repeatedly in his statement.”

Mattis added that he needs a “certain amount of ambiguity on this, because I’m not going to tell [Kim] what I’m going to do in each case.” But he warned pointedly: “You don’t shoot at people in this world unless you want to bear the consequences.”

China, meanwhile, signaled a potentially important break with North Korea as part of international sanctions. Beijing announced Monday that it would ban imports of iron ore, iron, lead and coal from North Korea, cutting an important economic lifeline for Pyongyang. The ban will take effect from Tuesday, China’s Ministry of Commerce announced.

Trump last week warned North Korea that it would face “fire and fury” if it tried to attack the United States or its allies. Then on Friday, after North Korea threatened to launch missiles toward Guam, Trump warned the regime that the U.S. military was “locked and loaded.”

But top administration officials appear focused on trying to play down the prospect of nuclear war. Appearing on Sunday-morning talk shows, CIA Director Mike Pompeo said, “An attack from North Korea is not something that is imminent.” National security adviser H.R. McMaster said, “We’re not closer to war than a week ago.”

Officials in the South Korean government have voiced surprise and confusion at Trump’s tough talk of the past week.

Moon, elected as South Korea’s president in May on a pledge to adopt a more conciliatory approach to North Korea, urged the United States on Monday to give diplomacy a chance.

“Peace will not come to the Korean Peninsula by force. Although peace and negotiation are painful and slow, we must pursue this path,” Moon told his advisers ahead of his meeting with Dunford.

Seoul, a vibrant metropolitan area of 25 million people, lies within range of North Korea’s conventional artillery, stationed just across the border 30 miles to the north. Hundreds of thousands of Americans, including more than 28,000 U.S. troops, also live in South Korea.

The U.S. and South Korean militaries next week are set to start their annual fall exercises, in which they practice responding to a North Korean invasion or the collapse of the regime in Pyongyang. North Korea always strongly objects to the drills, viewing them as a pretext for war.

Gen. Vincent Brooks, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, said the exercises would go ahead as planned, starting Aug. 21. “The exercises remain important to us, and we’ll continue to move forward,” he said, according to Stars and Stripes.

[ellingtonboots]

Why Bugging Out Would Be a Living Hell for the Average Joe

“Just minutes ago, an explosion rocked the North Anna Nuclear Generating Station. Those local to the station may have felt tremors from the blast. Officials in the plant are saying that this explosion was not part of a malfunction. Instead, it is believed that a device or multiple devices were detonated with the specific intent […]

The post Why Bugging Out Would Be a Living Hell for the Average Joe appeared first on Urban Survival Site.

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[christinamac1]

New nuclear power station for Virginia? Clean Technica examines the financial realities

New nuclear power station for Virginia? Clean Technica examines the financial realities

No, Virginia, There Is No Nuclear Santa Claus https://cleantechnica.com/2017/06/09/no-virginia-no-nuclear-santa-claus/June 9th, 2017 by Michael Barnard  Virginia is about to receive approval for the most expensive nuclear reactor ever built in the USA. It’s been a 10-year hunt with reactor technologies changing at least twice to add a third unit to the North Anna nuclear generation plant. But…

[smilystore]

Fears of Chernobyl on ice as Russia prepares floating nuclear plant

Scepticism and safety concerns persist before vessel begins 4,000-mile Arctic journey

“I feel like I’m one of the first cosmonauts going into space,” said Vladimir Irminku, one of the chief engineers of the Akademik Lomonosov, as he stood on the deck of the giant, box-like platform on a chilly summer morning at Kola Bay in the Barents Sea. Russia is planning to dispatch the vessel, its first floating nuclear power station, on a 4,000-mile journey along the Northern Sea Route, in a milestone for the country’s growing use of nuclear power in its plans for Arctic expansion.

If all goes to plan, the Akademik Lomonosov will be towed to the Arctic port of Pevek this month, where it will use its twin nuclear reactors to provide heat and energy to homes and support mining and drilling operations in Russia’s mineral-rich Chukotka region. Russia claims the project will provide clean energy to the remote region and allow authorities to retire an aging nuclear plant and a coal-burning power station. But the Akademik Lomonosov has raised safety concerns among environmental groups, including accusations from Greenpeace that it could be a “floating Chernobyl”, and doubts about whether floating nuclear power stations meant to provide power to remote regions are economically viable. The Northern Sea Route shipping lanes opened by melting ice sheets in the Arctic presents new trade routes between China and Europe that Russia hopes to make navigable year-round.

The prospect of lucrative trade routes, as well as the region’s military importance, has led to a proliferation of nuclear-powered icebreakers, submarines and other high-tech nuclear technologies in the Arctic region. Thomas Nilsen, the editor of the Barents Observer newspaper, based in the Norwegian town of Kirkenes, has estimated that by 2035, the Russian Arctic “will by far be the most nuclearised waters on the planet”. Floating nuclear power stations may play a role. While plans have existed for generations and the US deployed a small nuclear reactor on board a barge in the Panama Canal Zone in the 1960s and 70s, they have never been mass-produced. Rosatom, Russia’s state nuclear energy company, hopes to change that and sell customized floating nuclear power stations to countries around the world. Rosatom said it has signed a project development agreement to explore the possibility of building a floating nuclear power plant for Sudan, among others. In Rosatom’s business plan, the Akademik Lomonosov is part of the sales pitch. The platform recently painted a brilliant white and stamped with the energy agency’s logo, is an expensive pilot project with some extravagant flourishes, including a gym, pool, and bar (with no alcohol) for crew members. Security is tight and visiting reporters were shadowed by private security guards while onboard. The Akademik Lomonosov, which took more than a decade to build, carries two KLT-40S nuclear reactors, similar to those used in Russia’s nuclear icebreakers. The reactors use low-enriched uranium and are capable of producing a combined 70MW of electricity, which Rosatom estimates as enough for 100,000 homes. Rosatom also claims the platform is “virtually unsinkable” and able to withstand collisions with icebergs and the impact of a seven-meter wave. Greenpeace has described the project as a “nuclear Titanic” and “Chernobyl on ice”, at a time when popular attention to the threat of nuclear accidents has been stoked by the popular HBO miniseries Chernobyl, dramatising the nuclear disaster of 1986. Neighbouring countries including Norway have successfully lobbied Rosatom not to load nuclear fuel on to the platform until after it is towed away from their borders.

Rosatom officials visibly bristled at the comparisons to previous nuclear accidents, arguing Chernobyl used far larger reactors of a different type and the nuclear technology onboard the Akademik Lomonosov had already been employed in Russia’s fleet of nuclear icebreakers. Aminu said: “This and a ‘Chernobyl on ice’ is just night and day – we’re talking about totally different systems. There should always be skepticism [of new technology]. But they’re going overboard. If they say there is a possibility of an accident with the reactor then they have to present evidence.” In case of an accident and a reactor shutdown, Irminku said, the ice-cold water beneath the reactor could be used as coolant until help arrived. The Bellona Foundation, which covers environmental issues in the Arctic region, theorized in a 2011 report that waves from a tsunami could throw the nuclear power plant away from its water source onshore, leading to a “nuclear accident with grave consequences”. Rosatom says dangers from waves are mitigated by a dock constructed around the power station, and if thrown inland, the reactors’ emergency systems can cool them without electricity supply for 24 hours. Dmitry Alekseyenko, a deputy head of construction and operation of the platform, said: “We studied the experience of Fukushima closely. [What happens] if the platform is hit by a tsunami? Or thrown onshore? According to our tests, a tsunami caused by a nine-point [earthquake] will not dislocate it from its base.” Anna Kireeva of Bellona said the organization had closely followed the development of the Akademik Lomonosov. Russian experts may safely be able to operate a floating nuclear power plant, she said but plans to license out the technology raised much larger concerns.

“Our real concern is the reason why they’re making this floating plant they want to sell this technology to countries like Sudan,” she said in a telephone interview. “I’m really concerned that such nuclear technologies can be used in countries where levels of nuclear radiation safety, regulation, and standards of safety are not on such a high level as in Russia. What will they do with spent nuclear fuel? How will they react in case of emergencies?” The other question is whether floating power plants are economically viable. While Rosatom executives have touted interest in the platforms, potential buyers have yet to put any money on the table. Some critics have called the project frivolous. Nilsen described it as a “PR project”, citing the lack of additional orders and the ready availability of liquefied natural gas in the Arctic region as an alternative to nuclear power. “If this had been a very good way of providing electricity to the north coast of Siberia then we would have seen more of them under construction … I think this is going to be a one-of-a-kind project,” he said. Rosatom officials declined to say how much the Akademik Lomonosov cost, although they did say they expected prices to fall as further plants were built. In 2016, an official connected to the project said the floating nuclear power station cost an estimated 21.5bn roubles ($333m), and the necessary infrastructure would cost an additional 7bn roubles. After years of reported cost overruns and delays, Alekseyenko called the plant’s completion a “milestone” for Rosatom and Russia’s shipbuilding industry. “An order this big hasn’t been completed for a long time,” he said.

by Andrew Roth in Murmansk

The post Fears of Chernobyl on ice as Russia prepares floating nuclear plant appeared first on Smile store.

source https://smilystore.com/2019/08/04/fears-of-chernobyl-on-ice-as-russia-prepares-floating-nuclear-plant/

[realsurvivalblog]

Why Bugging Out Would Be a Living Hell for the Average Joe

This post may contain affiliate links. Thank you for supporting us with your purchases!*

“Just minutes ago, an explosion rocked the North Anna Nuclear Generating Station. Those local to the station may have felt tremors from the blast. Officials in the plant are saying that this explosion was not part of a malfunction. Instead, it is believed that a device or multiple devices were…

[maryslapoffski-blog]

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[lrmartinjr]

Dominion Energy said Monday that it will seek a 20-year renewal of its license to operate its North Anna nuclear power plant in Louisa County. Dominion notified the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission of its intent to file the license renewal application in 2020. The company expects to file a similar application for the Surry Power Station in 2019. Together, the four reactors at North Anna and Surry provide about 41 percent of all the electricity consumed by Dominion’s electric customers in Virginia. Surry’s two units began service in 1972 and 1973. North Anna’s reactors began service in 1978 and 1980. They were initially licensed to operate for 40 years but were renewed for an additional 20 years in 2003. If the latest license renewal is approved, the licenses for the four units will run until 2058, 2060, 2052 and 2053. Dominion expects to spend up to $4 billion on upgrades at the facilities as part of the relicensing process. Earlier this year, the General Assembly authorized the company to recoup those expenses from customers.

[caseinpoints]

Dominion to add more solar to portfolio

The carbon footprint for a typical Dominion Virginia Power customer would shrink by as much as 25% over the next eight years under a plan the company presented in May. When added to reductions already made by Dominion, carbon emissions to meet the energy needs of a typical residential customer would fall by up to 46% between 2007 and 2027.

The main drivers of these improvements are a significant drop in the subsidized cost of utility-scale universal solar power, the ability to support the variable output of solar and wind with highly efficient natural gas generation, and Virginia’s two nuclear power stations. This combination is expected to provide the lowest cost and best environmental performance while maintaining around-the-clock reliability.

The company said it anticipates future national and state energy policy to include limitations on greenhouse gas emissions in some form. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) imposed sweeping reductions in power station carbon emissions in August 2015 through its Clean Power Plan. That plan is now under federal court review and President Trump has ordered the EPA to review the rule and to begin the process of revising or rescinding it. Nonetheless, the federal government remains under a legal requirement to address carbon as a regulated pollutant. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has said these rules should be “enforced and respected,” thus creating great uncertainty about the future of environmental regulations and how they will impact power plants.

At the state level, the Virginia State Air Pollution Control Board is currently considering a petition on carbon limitations. Also, a taskforce set up by Governor McAuliffe is developing proposals to reduce carbon emission in Virginia, regardless of what happens with federal Clean Power Plan rules.

“For the first time, the subsidized costs of utility-scale universal solar power are expected to be low enough to make it a component of future generation additions at reasonable cost to our customers,” Paul Koonce, CEO of Dominion Generation Group, said in announcing the company’s annual Integrated Resource Plan.

“This plan also highlights the vital roles of natural gas and nuclear generation. Gas-fired generation is clean, dependable and provides balance to the variable energy flows from solar and wind. Nuclear, with its 24/7 operations and no-carbon emissions, provides a solid base for a low-carbon future.

“We believe this balance of solar, natural gas and nuclear hits the sweet spot in terms of cost, environmental performance and reliability for our customers.”

Koonce noted that Dominion already has made significant investments in solar and other renewables primarily through agreements with specific customers.

And, the company has lowered carbon emissions in recent years through a number of other measures. It has converted four coal-fired power stations to natural gas or renewable biomass; built highly efficient natural gas power stations in Virginia to reduce imports of electricity from higher-carbon sources outside the state; encouraged energy conservation; and increased efficiency of its existing stations to produce more energy with the same amount of fuel. The company’s newest coal-fired station, the Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center, can use biomass for up to 20% of its fuel.

Today’s announcement came at the time of the filing of the company’s annual “Integrated Resource Plan,” a long-term energy forecast required by state law. The IRP is a planning document based on current information and projections regarding energy markets, regulatory requirements and other major factors. While the document represents the company’s current plan for meeting the future energy needs of its customers, it is not a commitment to build or to request regulatory approval for any particular project.

The document examines options to meet the electricity needs of customers over a 15-year “planning period,” while also considering a longer 25-year study period. The document was filed simultaneously with the North Carolina Utilities Commission. In light of current uncertainty around the future of federal and state regulatory policies, the study models different regulatory scenarios.

As it has in recent years, the 2017 plan includes potential alternatives based on different assumptions about future carbon regulations and other factors. This year’s report outlines eight alternatives.

At least 5,200 megawatts of new solar generation could be added under each alternative during the 25-year study period. Solar eventually could generate electricity at maximum output to serve more than 1.3 million homes when there is sufficient sunlight.

Together with the company’s North Anna and Surry nuclear facilities, over a third of Dominion’s Virginia service territory could be powered with carbon-free electricity by 2032. Most of the rest of the demand would be served by low-emitting, low-cost natural gas, a critical partner to solar, given the variable nature of solar energy and the around-the-clock capability of natural gas.

The Virginia General Assembly earlier this year adopted legislation that supports the company’s plans to seek a second federal relicensing for the reactors at North Anna and Surry. Surry’s reactors are licensed until 2032 and 2033, respectively, and North Anna’s are licensed until 2038, and 2040. Together, they have a generating capacity of 3,349 megawatts.

“Widespread solar use—both utility-scale universal solar and private systems—will require a modern energy grid, upgraded from the one-directional grid system that has worked so well to deliver power to generations of customers,” said Robert M. Blue, president and CEO of Dominion Virginia Power. “When the variable nature of solar becomes a major factor on the grid, it must become a flexible, two-way network, so we can deliver energy seamlessly to everyone. Having a robust energy grid is absolutely vital and will become even more important in the future.”

In addition to advancing renewable energy, grid modernization also will help strengthen the grid against cyber or physical attacks, provide more control and information for customers, and will improve our ability to restore power promptly after outages.

Increased adoption of solar energy will require extensive upgrades to the energy grid—the network of large transmission lines and smaller distribution lines that carry electricity to homes and businesses—as utility-scale universal solar, smaller private solar, and other distributed energy resources present new operational challenges and opportunities. For this reason, the company’s long-range forecast discusses the need to modernize the energy grid to create a more dynamic system better equipped to respond to both cost-effective utility-scale universal solar facilities and the expected increase in smaller, widely dispersed solar generation.

Additionally, modernization will ultimately be able to provide customers with more information on their energy consumption and new opportunities to manage their usage. In Virginia and across the country, today’s energy grid is primarily a one-way system that delivers electricity from power stations to homes and businesses. Today’s plan sets a course for the two-way system of the future.

The 2017 plan advances the company’s current solar commitments. In February 2015, Dominion committed to developing 400 megawatts of utility-scale universal solar generation in Virginia and placing them in service by 2020. The company’s current solar investment in Virginia has already nearly met this commitment and approaches $1 billion, with a dozen new solar projects being built, enough to power 100,000 homes.

“Dominion will continue moving toward cleaner power sources with lower emissions, whether the Clean Power Plan lives or dies,” Koonce said. “Our customers want more renewable energy, and changing economics make the transition to renewable resources easier, with the ‘installed cost’ of solar having dropped 50 percent over the past four years. This makes variable solar an economically viable source of power when complemented by cleaner-burning natural gas and nuclear power, which maintain production of reliable electricity when the sun is not shining. This is why natural gas infrastructure—including the Atlantic Coast Pipeline—is such an important part of a comprehensive energy strategy.”

Major common elements through the 15-year planning period of 2018-2032 include:

By 2022, the addition of at least 990 megawatts of solar capacity owned by third-party generators in northeastern North Carolina and Virginia under long-term contracts;

At least 3,200 megawatts of new solar capacity by 2032 (enough to power more than 800,000 homes at maximum output), and at least 5,200 megawatts by 2042 (enough to power 1.3 million homes at maximum output);

Bringing Greensville County Power Station into service by 2019. Greensville will be one of the largest and most environmentally friendly power stations of its kind anywhere in the world, governed by the country’s most stringent air permit limiting CO2 emissions, according to Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality. (Construction is expected to be complete in late 2018.);

Addition of approximately 1,374 megawatts of new natural gas-powered combustion turbine units by 2032;

Re-licensing of the four nuclear units that have provided Virginia reliable, carbon-free energy since the 1970s;

Development of the 12-megawatt Virginia Offshore Wind Technology Advancement Project, testing two wind turbines off the coast of Virginia Beach, as early as 2021; and

Implementation of “demand-side management” programs that are forecasted to reduce the annual energy consumption of Dominion Virginia Power customers by over 1,200 gigawatt-hours by 2032.

All of the alternative plans, except for one plan required by the State Corporation Commission, assume the future will include some carbon restrictions resulting in the potential closures of certain fossil-fueled generating plants.

The IRP references the potential retirements of the oil-fired unit in Yorktown and two coal-fired units in Chesterfield by 2022. Two of the alternatives reference the potential retirements of the Clover and Mecklenburg coal-fired stations in 2025.

News item from Dominion

Solar Power World

[newstfionline]

The ‘Ivanka Trump of North Korea’ captivates people in the South

By Anna Fifield, Washington Post, February 10, 2018

GANGNEUNG, South Korea--They marveled at her barely-there makeup and her lack of bling. They commented on her plain black outfits and simple purse. They noted the flower-shaped clip that kept her hair back in a no-nonsense style.

Here she was, a political princess, but the North Korean “first sister” had none of the hallmarks of power and wealth that Koreans south of the divide have come to expect. In looks-obsessed South Korea, many 20-something women list plastic surgery and brand-name bags as life goals.

Most of all, Kim Yo Jong was an enigma. Just like them, but nothing like them. A woman with a sphinx-like smile who gave nothing away during her three-day Olympic-related visit to South Korea as her brother Kim Jong Un’s special envoy.

“I thought Kim Yo Jong was going to be so serious, but she smiled all the time, so she made a good first impression,” said Kwon Hee-sun, a 29-year-old South Korean woman attending the women’s ice hockey match at the Winter Olympics on Saturday night. The Korean teams had been combined--three North Koreans were playing on the merged team.

“I’m curious about her. I wonder if she’s married. I think it’ll be very meaningful if she comes to the game,” Kwon said. She soon got her wish: Kim Yo Jong showed up to cheer on the united Korean team.

Kim is “the Ivanka Trump of North Korea” because of her family connections and her ability to be a compelling saleswoman, said Sue Mi Terry, a former Korean analyst at the CIA who is now with the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

South Korean television drew that exact parallel, noting that Kim Jong Un had sent his sister to the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, while President Trump was sending his daughter to the closing.

Very little is known about the current generation that runs North Korea: leader Kim Jong Un and his glamorous wife, Ri Sol Ju; his reclusive older brother, Kim Jong Chol; and his younger sister, Kim Yo Jong.

We know that the Kims, the children of second-generation North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and his Japanese-born ethnic Korean wife, Ko Yong Hui, all spent several years at school in Switzerland. We know Kim Jong Chol likes Eric Clapton because he’s been spotted at concerts around the world, most recently in London. We know that Ri used to sing in a propaganda band. But that’s about it.

We don’t even know Kim Yo Jong’s age. The South Korean intelligence service says she was born in 1987; the U.S. government thinks it was 1989.

So when she arrived in South Korea on Friday afternoon, becoming the first member of North Korea’s ruling Kim family to come South since the Korean War broke out in 1950, South Koreans were enthralled.

If the outside world is puzzled by this regime that threatens nuclear war and deprives its people of food and information, just imagine how strange North Korea seems to those in the South. They speak the same language, share the same myths, love the same food. Yet the leaders are so foreign.

The wall-to-wall coverage began even before Kim stepped off her brother’s private jet at Incheon airport, west of Seoul, on Friday afternoon. Television cameras broadcast footage of the runway, waiting for her to arrive. They noted that the plane had been given the flight number 615--a reference to June 15, the final day of the first inter-Korean summit in 2000. It was auspicious.

In the VIP room upon arrival at Incheon, television cameras show a smiling Kim gesturing to Kim Yong Nam, the 90-year-old who is technically North Korea’s head of state and was technically leading the delegation.

Both Koreas are bound by Confucian hierarchical rules that prize age and maleness, and stipulate who should sit where according to seniority. Those rules mean, without question, that a 90-year-old male head of state, should sit in the best seat.

But South Korean papers marveled at Kim Yo Jong’s “humbleness.”

Then, from the moment she stepped out of the airport, there was a media scrum around her--well, around the four North Korean bodyguards who surrounded her as she walked through train stations and Olympic venues.

When she arrived at the Blue House for a meeting with South Korean president Moon Jae-in on Saturday morning, the cameras zoomed in on her high cheekbones and her fine ears. No detail was too trivial to be noticed, commented on.

Look at her posture, the commentators said. She sat so upright--maybe she’d been a dancer like her mother--and was so well-mannered.

Look at her unusual handwriting, they said after Kim Yo Jong wrote a message in the guest book at South Korea’s presidential Blue House, which--of course--then appeared everywhere. The cross strokes were all angled, making her handwriting look like a kind of calligraphy.

“I hope Pyongyang and Seoul will become closer in the hearts of Koreans and will bring unification and prosperity in the near future,” she had written.

Somehow, Kim managed to pass the whole visit without uttering a word in public. Moving through the crowds, she kept her Mona Lisa face on and her mouth closed. When local journalists asked her how she felt to be in South Korea, she didn’t respond. She just smiled. Footage from the meetings she had with Moon again showed her smiling and relaxed, but the cameras didn’t catch a single word.

“I thought she was really pretty,” said Moon Jin-young, a 19-year-old student. But she wasn’t sure how humble the visitor was. “She didn’t look nice because she kept her chin up all the time, so it looked as if she was always looking down on others.”

Certainly, Kim Yo Jong, who is under American sanctions for human rights abuses related to her role in censoring information, was treated like royalty during her visit.

The government provided a Hyundai Genesis, a luxury car that media noted could be made bulletproof, to ferry her around. She stayed in the five-star Sheraton Grande Walkerhill hotel on the outskirts of Seoul, which markets itself as “the ultimate place to relax and unwind.”

For lunch with Moon, the North Korean delegation was served grilled flatfish, soup with dried fish balls, buckwheat crepe with persimmon sauce and two types of kimchi. There was dried persimmon and walnut cake for dessert.

Then for dinner, her South Korean hosts took her to a fancy restaurant in Gangneung, on the east coast, before the hockey game.

Vice President Pence, who was also in South Korea for the opening of the Winter Olympics but studiously avoided Kim, had worried in advance that North Korea would “hijack” the Olympic Games with its “propaganda.”

Pence and his staff were alarmed by news last month that South Koreans were dazzled by the arrival of Hyon Song Wol, a singer in North Korea’s all-female Moranbong Band and a rising political star in Kim’s regime.

His worries were well founded.

Those who saw Kim at the hockey game were puzzled by mismatch between the gruesome stories they’d heard and the slight young woman before them.

“Kim Yo Jong kept smiling, and she seemed nice,” said Lee Ryoon-ryong, a 25-year-old man at Saturday’s match. “I was surprised because she looked different from the image I had about North Koreans.”

He figured, however, she must have a strong personality behind that smiling face.

Indeed, Terry warned against being sucked in by Kim’s good cop routine. “Kim Yo Jong is totalitarianism with a human face,” she said. “She is acting as a goodwill ambassador for a country that has earned no goodwill.”

[newstfionline]

As North Korea intensifies its missile program, the U.S. opens an $11 billion base in South Korea

By Anna Fifield, Washington Post, July 29, 2017

CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea--This small American city has four schools and five churches, an Arby’s, a Taco Bell and a Burger King. The grocery store is offering a deal on Budweiser as the temperature soars, and out front there’s a promotion for Ford Mustangs.

But for all its invocations of the American heartland, this growing town is in the middle of the South Korean countryside, in an area that was famous for growing huge grapes.

“We built an entire city from scratch,” said Col. Scott W. Mueller, garrison commander of Camp Humphreys, one of the U.S. military’s largest overseas construction projects. If it were laid across Washington, the 3,454-acre base would stretch from Key Bridge to Nationals Park, from Arlington National Cemetery to the Capitol.

“New York has been a city for 100-some years and they’re still doing construction. But the majority of construction here will be done by 2021,” Mueller said. (New York was actually founded nearly 400 years ago.)

The U.S. military has been trying for 30 years to move its headquarters in South Korea out of Seoul and out of North Korean artillery range.

Since the end of World War II, the military has been based at Yongsan, a garrison that had been the Imperial Japanese Army’s main base during Japan’s occupation of the Korean Peninsula. It is in the middle of Seoul and just 40 miles from the demilitarized zone that separates the two Koreas.

The South Korean and American governments have been talking since 1987 about moving the base away from Yongsan, but political and funding issues had slowed the process. Protests broke out a little over a decade ago when the Pyeongtaek, a sleepy rural city 40 miles south of Yongsan, was chosen as the new base site.

Now, the $11 billion base is beginning to look like the garrison that military planners envisaged decades ago.

The Eighth Army moved its headquarters here this month and there are about 25,000 people based here, including family members and contractors.

There are apartment buildings, sports fields, playgrounds and a water park, and an 18-hole golf course with the generals’ houses overlooking the greens. There is a “warrior zone” with Xboxes and Playstations, pool tables and dart boards, and a tavern for those old enough to drink.

Starting this August, there will be two elementary schools, a middle school and a high school. A new, 68-bed military hospital to replace the one at Yongsan is close to completion.

That is in addition to the airfield, the tank training areas and firing ranges.

When it is finished, the base will be able to house precisely 1,111 families and a total of about 45,500 people.

But it’s not just bigger; it’s much more modern than the garrison at Yongsan, Mueller said. It has state-of-the-art communications technology and is a more “hardened” site to protect against a possible North Korean attack.

“Down here we’re a little bit further from the action, and that helps buy us some strategic decision space should anything happen,” Mueller said. “We’ve been able to create the facilities needed to keep up with the pace of modern warfare and modern communications technology.”

Although the recent concerns about North Korea have centered on its rapidly evolving ballistic missile capability, the Kim regime has a huge amount of conventional artillery lined up on its side of the border that would be able to inflict significant damage on Seoul in a short space of time. It is this concern that has restrained American presidential administrations from launching a preemptive strike on North Korea’s nuclear weapons facilities.

But the new Camp Humphreys is out of range of North Korea’s multiple rocket launchers, although that hasn’t stopped the North Koreans from making threats.

“The larger the U.S. military base is, the more effectively our military can hit its targets,” a North Korean military spokesman said this month after the Eighth Army moved here, according to the North’s Korean Central News Agency.

Under an agreement with the South Korean military, one U.S. Army brigade will remain at Camp Casey, right near the DMZ, even after the Yongsan garrison has closed.

The construction of Camp Humphreys had raised hopes for the local economy, which had not exactly been flourishing before the area was selected for the base.

Local authorities have built a $13 million train station and a new four-lane highway bridge, and invested $55 million in a new substation to deliver power to the base. The main roads in Pyeongtaek are lined with new apartment towers.

Immediately outside the base, local businesses are vying to prove how pro-American they are. There are dozens of real estate agencies with American flags on their windows and names such as “Komerican Realty,” while two of the new housing developments outside the base are called “Lincoln Palace” and “Capitolium.” The parking spaces in the developments are bigger, to fit American cars.

There are restaurants offering all-you-can-eat Korean meat dinner buffets for $11, Tex-Mex joints and even a Hooters rip-off. The barbershop offers flattops and “skin fade” cuts, and there are other services you don’t find in an average South Korean town, such as “All African American Caribbean style” hair braiding.

Because soldiers below the rank of staff sergeant are not allowed to drive in South Korea, even off base, young Americans on bicycles rigged up with small motors sputter through the streets.

But there is a sense of frustration that the base hasn’t produced a gold rush.

“Business is so-so,” said Suh Hee-yeon, the owner of one U.S. Forces Korea-approved real estate agency on the main drag, which offers housing for those who will live off base. She has been here for a decade and doesn’t welcome the new firms that have arrived as the base gets closer to completion. “There’s too much competition now and we have to share the limited amount of business,” she said.

Some here worry about increased crime and that American soldiers will be on the prowl for local women. The U.S. Army has developed an app so troops can check which bars have been deemed off-limits, either because they’ve been caught serving drinks to minors or because they’re selling sex.

Others complain that the new arrivals don’t learn Korean and expect local store owners to speak English.

But worse than that is the fear that the soldiers just won’t patronize their businesses.

“They rarely come out from their bases,” said Park Jong-ho, who has run a shoe shop here for the past three years. “They have everything they need there on the base.”