A Virginia nuclear power plant that shut down during an Aug. 23 earthquake is ready to restart, the plant's owner told federal regulators today.

In a Nuclear Regulatory Commission briefing, Dominion Virginia Power officials said that nearly two months of inspections show the Louisa County power plant was not substantially damaged by the quake, even though the strength of the temblor exceeded what the facility was designed to withstand.

The plant's two units on Lake Anna in central Virginia have been offline since the earthquake struck. The quake's epicenter was about 12 miles from the plant.

Workers found no damage at the plant after visually inspecting the inside of one of the reactors and pipes buried under the plant, Dominion said. The company found only non-safety related issues such as cracks in the turbine building hallway and interior containment walls.

"The plant tells the story," said David Heacock, the utility president.

NRC has not yet authorized the plant to restart -- a decision that lies with Eric Leeds, director of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. Leeds said he generally agrees with the company that the plant is safe, but he noted the agency has asked Dominion to conduct additional inspections, including the reactor vessel supports.

NRC commissioners quizzed Dominion officials on the visual inspections at the plant and whether the earthquake degraded the plant's ability to handle future threats.

Commissioner William Magwood said he was struggling with the concept of restarting the plant given that the quake exceeded the facility's design.

Eugene Grecheck, Dominion's vice president of nuclear development, said areas of concern at the plant have been re-evaluated in recent weeks. Dominion said it also installed additional seismic monitors and may add more monitors that would be visible in the plant's control room.

NRC commissioners have said at past meetings that they hope to learn from the North Anna plant -- the first to shut down because of an earthquake in the United States -- to ensure other plant operators respond properly in the future.