SURRY, Va. — Although the US creates most of its energy through fossil fuels, some is created by splitting atoms at nuclear energy plants.
One of those power stations is found in Surry. It's been in operation, producing carbon-free electricity, for the past 50 years.
John Moscoe worked as a nuclear reactor operator for the Surry Power Station for more than three decades. He said he won't forget some parts of the job, like working in close proximity to radioactive materials, a byproduct of the way nuclear plants produce clean energy.
"As a matter of fact, when I take my undershirt off at night, I turn it inside out like it were protective clothing. It sticks with you wherever you go," laughed Moscoe.
Moscoe said the station has changed over the years.
"It's definitely been modernized. The other day I went into the training center to see what they were doing," he said. "The controls were being upgraded to digital because this was an old analogue plant. The future coming up is going to look like something out of Star Trek."
Eric Carr, who oversees nuclear operations, said the station continues to add new technology.
"We use drones to inspect containment, submersibles to inspect tanks," said Carr.
The changes, he said, have allowed the Surry station to operate safely and are meant to propel them into the future.
The power station had a celebration on Monday where Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) spoke to a crowd.
"Surry makes sure, along with its sister plant North Anna, that the incubators are on at the NICU unit...that the air conditioners are on at the retirement facilities," Youngkin said. "They make sure life happens every day when you flip that switch."
Gov. Youngkin said the plant is key as Virginia's energy needs grow faster than neighboring states.
"Because it is baseload power. It runs 24 by seven by 365. It is affordable, it is increasingly clean. It is reliable," said Youngkin.
Each flip of the switch for Moscoe is a reminder of what he's helped build.
"My generation built a plant that has withstood the test of time," said Moscoe.
Surry Power Station has been approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to operate out 80 years.
Dominion Energy's future plans at the station include six modular reactors.
