Naval Weapons Station Yorktown and Dominion Energy Join Forces for Energy Resilience
In a strategic move to bolster energy sustainability, Naval Weapons Station Yorktown has partnered with Dominion Energy to explore innovative energy solutions. This collaboration aims to enhance the station’s energy resilience through projects like solar farms, turbine energy, or potentially a small modular nuclear reactor.
Cpt. Dan Patrick, who has long advocated for sustainable energy at the station, emphasized the importance of diversifying power sources. “Power demand in Virginia is going to increase,” he stated, noting the necessity for diverse energy options to ensure continuous weapons support to military installations along the East Coast. Dominion Energy anticipates a 5.5% annual demand increase over the next ten years, with demand potentially doubling by 2039.
The two entities have been collaborating for approximately 18 months to integrate a project at NWS Yorktown into long-term energy plans. The initial phase involves a site characterization study, expected to take six to twelve months, to determine the most suitable project for the location.
Historical events like the 1929 power outage in Tacoma, Washington, underline the risks of relying on limited power sources. During that period, Tacoma’s reliance on hydroelectric power led to significant power shortages after a drought. The USS Lexington, dispatched by President Herbert Hoover, provided power to the city for about a month. Patrick warned, “If we don’t take the necessary steps to build reliant and resilient energy sources for the installation community, we clearly become very vulnerable.”
Ed Baine, president of Dominion Energy Virginia, highlighted that any selected energy solution would be owned and operated by Dominion. He expressed confidence in managing nuclear facilities safely if a nuclear reactor is chosen. Baine also outlined the company’s strategy to meet immediate energy demands with gas and renewables, while considering small modular reactors for the future.
In October, Dominion collaborated with Amazon to develop a small modular reactor, exploring its feasibility at the North Anna Power Station in Louisa County. A small reactor is significantly smaller than the Surry Nuclear Power Plant across the James River from the weapons station.
The York County Board of Supervisors recently passed a resolution to study potential zoning changes for small nuclear reactors, as current codes do not address them. Both Baine and Patrick agree that any energy development will have regional benefits. Patrick emphasized, “Our overall goal and intent is that if something were to happen elsewhere, the base and the community — our major workforce — would have the lights and power on so we can continue without having to worry about the families at home or the local community not being able to work with us.”
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