Dominion Virginia Power personnel and nearly two dozen local, state and federal agencies are participating in an emergency drill at the North Anna Nuclear Power Station on Tuesday, July 8.
“The full-scale exercise is to test preparedness and response procedures involving plant security,” said Kathy Smith, public information officer for Spotsylvania County.
“Guidelines have been developed that address the challenges of security events that could potentially occur at U.S. nuclear power stations,” Smith said. The drill will test responses to a security event at the station. Participating agencies will role-play their emergency response functions from state and local government emergency operations centers and the power station.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will monitor the drill’s progress and conduct an in-depth analysis of the results, outlining any areas that may need improvement.
Dominion Virginia Power owns and operates the North Anna Power Station. There are two units providing 1,892 megawatts — enough electricity to power 450,000 homes, according to Dominion Virginia Power. Unit one began commercial operation in June 1978 and Unit 2 in December 1980.
The facility, located in Louisa County, was named after the North Anna River, which was dammed to form the 9,600-acre Lake Anna reservoir and the 3,400-acre Waste Heat Treatment Facility, used to provide cooling water for the station.
The lake and treatment facility have become popular recreation areas, which include private homes, campgrounds, marinas and Lake Anna State Park.
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