Baton Rogue, La.-based Turner Industries has revealed plans to expand two nuclear manufacturing facilities in Louisiana that aim to fabricate reactor parts for advanced reactors, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) announced at an industry summit Tuesday.
Turner Industries said in its press release that the two manufacturing facilities will be in New Iberia and Port Allen in Louisiana. The two sites will “be dedicated to the production of high-precision modules and nuclear-grade piping” for reactors across the country, the company said.
The New Iberia facility is located on a 95-acre site at the Port of Iberia and the Port Allen facility is a 75-acre site located along the Mississippi River. The company’s nuclear fabrication modular operations previously took place in Texas.
Turner Industries said the facilities will be designed to meet the quality standards required by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and hopes to support the acceleration of nuclear reactor deployment. The facilities will focus on modular assembly of nuclear plant components and leveraging existing certifications to produce specialized cooling systems for advanced reactors, according to the release.
The company added that it expects to partner up with local community colleges to create and build up a workforce in alignment with the expansion plans.
“Turner Industries has a 65-year legacy of supporting the energy sector, and today we are leaning into the future of American energy independence,” Turner Industries CEO Stephen Toups said. “These Louisiana facilities and their capabilities represent a commitment in our workforce and our state.”
Turner Industries expansion plans are a part of Louisiana’s recently announced Nuclear Strategic Framework. The new framework aims to provide a roadmap to grow Louisiana’s nuclear fleet, including supply chain and workforce.
The Louisiana Nuclear Strategy and Supply Chain Summit was held from April 27 to April 29.
In a Tuesday “Talk107.3FM – Baton Rouge” radio interview, NRC Chair Ho Nieh, who spoke at the Louisiana Nuclear Strategy and Supply Chain Summit, said the three largest glaring issues with reactor deployment are financing, supply chain and workforce. Large scale components, component fabrication and nuclear fuel were particular areas of concern under the supply chain category, Nieh said.
But Nieh added that he saw that Louisiana’s nuclear framework looked to address these issues in its state.
“You [the state of Louisiana] have deep port access, you have an industrial base, and you have a nuclear workforce already with River Bend and Waterford,” Nieh said. “So, Louisiana knows nuclear.”
Later in the interview, Nieh said, “There is a fundamental shift occurring at the NRC and how we support the safe deployment of new nuclear technology…the NRC, again as I mentioned, we are not going to an impediment and if Louisiana wants to move forward with its nuclear strategy, then the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will be a dependable partner to achieve those goals.”