Westinghouse signs lease for 'revolutionary' battery facility in Etna - WTAE Pittsburgh
In Etna, Westinghouse signs lease for nuclear reactor facility
INVESTMENT HERE. BOB. THAT’S RIGHT. WE’RE AT A BUILDING HERE IN ETNA WHERE GOVERNOR SHAPIRO CAME JOINING WITH WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC TO ANNOUNCE THAT KEY COMPONENTS OF WHAT WESTINGHOUSE CALLS A VINCI. MIKE REACTORS WILL BE BUILT PUT TOGETHER HERE. PENNSYLVANIA HAS BEEN A LEADER IN ENERGY FOR AS LONG AS WESTINGHOUSE HAS BEEN BASED HERE IN THE PITTSBURGH AREA. AND TODAY, WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD ON THAT GREAT LEGACY AND BE THE LEADER WHEN IT COMES TO CLEAN ENERGY. WESTINGHOUSE CALLS THESE MICRO NUCLEAR REACTORS REVOLUTIONARY AND PORTABLE BATTERIES. THEY’LL BRING THE ABILITY TO GENERATE ATOMIC ELECTRIC POWER TO CHALLENGING LOCATIONS, INCLUDING DISASTER AREAS AND OUT INTO SPACE ON THE MOON, WITH APPLICATIONS IN BETWEEN OFF GRID COMMUNITIES, REMOTE MINING SITES, DEFENSE FACILITIES, DATA CENTERS OR OTHER EXAMPLE USES. FOR HERE IN ETNA, IN THE COMING YEAR, IT MEANS FROM 100 TO 150 JOBS COMING TO THIS LOCATION WHERE, AS WE SAID, KEY COMPONENTS OF THE VINCI MICRO REACTORS WILL BE MADE. THAT INCLUDES MORE THAN 40 NEW HIGH PAYING JOBS. WESTINGHOUSE WILL INVEST AT LEAST $18 MILLION HERE IN ETNA WITH THE STATE PROVIDING $1 MILLION GRANT. THINK ABOUT IT THIS WAY WHAT THEY’RE BUILDING HERE IN ETNA ARE REAL SMALL NEW CLEAR ENERGY SUPPLIERS THAT ARE ZERO WASTE THAT CAN BE DEPLOYED ANYWHERE, THAT CAN LITERALLY BE TRUCKED INTO AN AREA THAT MAY NOT OTHERWISE HAVE ENERGY THAT COULD CHANGE THE WORLD. AND THE THE WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC CORPORATION HAS ANNOUNCED THAT IT SIGNED A LEASE FOR THIS BUILDING AT 51 BRIDGE STREET BUILDING HERE IN ETNA,
Westinghouse signs lease for 'revolutionary' battery facility in Etna
Updated: 8:36 PM EDT Oct 24, 2023
Etna is set to become a hub in the push for cleaner energy, Gov. Josh Shapiro announced at an event in the borough Tuesday."Pennsylvania has been a leader in energy for as long as Westinghouse has been based here in the Pittsburgh area," Shapiro said. "And today, we have the opportunity to build on that great legacy and be leaders when it comes to clean energy."Westinghouse calls its micro-nuclear reactors and portable batteries "revolutionary." They will bring the ability to generate atomic power to challenging locations, including disaster areas and out into space to the Moon, with many applications in between. Off-grid communities, remote mining sites, defense facilities, and data centers are other examples of uses.In the coming year, it means from 100 to 150 jobs at Westinghouse's 87,000-square-foot facility in Etna, where key components of the eVinci microreactors will be made. That includes more than 40 new high-paying jobs. The company said it chose the site in part to its proximity to top universities in the field, including Carnegie Mellon, the University of Pittsburgh and Penn State - New Keninsgton.Westinghouse will invest at least $18 million in Etna, with the state providing a $1 million grant."Think about it this way: What they're building here in Etna are real small nuclear energy suppliers that are zero waste, that can be deployed anywhere, that can literally be trucked into an area that may not otherwise have energy," Shapiro said. "That could change the world."
ETNA, Pa. —
Etna is set to become a hub in the push for cleaner energy, Gov. Josh Shapiro announced at an event in the borough Tuesday.
"Pennsylvania has been a leader in energy for as long as Westinghouse has been based here in the Pittsburgh area," Shapiro said. "And today, we have the opportunity to build on that great legacy and be leaders when it comes to clean energy."
Westinghouse calls its micro-nuclear reactors and portable batteries "revolutionary." They will bring the ability to generate atomic power to challenging locations, including disaster areas and out into space to the Moon, with many applications in between. Off-grid communities, remote mining sites, defense facilities, and data centers are other examples of uses.
In the coming year, it means from 100 to 150 jobs at Westinghouse's 87,000-square-foot facility in Etna, where key components of the eVinci microreactors will be made. That includes more than 40 new high-paying jobs. The company said it chose the site in part to its proximity to top universities in the field, including Carnegie Mellon, the University of Pittsburgh and Penn State - New Keninsgton.
Westinghouse will invest at least $18 million in Etna, with the state providing a $1 million grant.
"Think about it this way: What they're building here in Etna are real small nuclear energy suppliers that are zero waste, that can be deployed anywhere, that can literally be trucked into an area that may not otherwise have energy," Shapiro said. "That could change the world."
Related Knowledge Center: ENERGY BASICS: nuclear
Nuclear energy provides almost 20 percent of the U.S. electricity supply. Advocates have called for an expanded role for nuclear as an emissions-free fuel source. But the economics of building new reactors are daunting. In addition, lingering safety concerns are an institutionalized part of the calculation of nuclear regulation, and highly radioactive nuclear waste remains a can that public officials have been inclined to kick down the road. The Energy Information Administration projects a sharp decline in nuclear power generation over the next decade, as new nuclear plants — two are planned — are more than offset by anticipated retirements of several operating reactors.