LYNCHBURG, Va. (WFXR) – Appalachian Power serves over 500,000 people in Virginia and is ready to serve more with a new alternative energy source: nuclear power.
The company announced its excitement to build a small modular nuclear reactor at its Joshua Falls substation in Campbell County. Small is the key word, because this project is different than a normal nuclear facility.
“It’s a smaller facility, about 1/3 the size of the traditional nuclear facility that everyone would think of,” Appalachian Power spokesperson George Porter said. “It’s smaller, it’s safer and much more compact.”
Even though it’s smaller, it still requires a lot of space. The reason the company chose its location in Campbell County is because it’s one of Appalachian Power’s largest existing substations. It’s also an easily accessible location once construction on the reactor begins.
It’s expected to take over a decade to finish building the reactor, but once complete, it will be a source of consistent, clean, and renewable energy.
“It’s always on 24 hours a day, it’s safe and it’s carbon-free,” Porter said. “That’s a real big asset for our company as well as our customers.”
On average, the reactor can supply about the equivalent of Appalachian Power’s entire current customer total. Porter said he hopes more people will join after this.
The more people using that power the more everyone can save some money at the start of each month.
“More customers means a smaller piece of the pie for our existing customers, so the more people using power, that means the cost for everyone goes down,” Porter said. “We’re always trying to get more people on our footprint, and more people to use our power, so this should reduce costs in the long run.”
Despite the upsides, nuclear power has a history of controversy, and Campbell County residents should be no exception.
Appalachian Power is holding an open house meeting on December 5th, at the Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance, for anyone wanting to know more about the project or to voice their opinions about it.