Westinghouse and the University of South Carolina announced a partnership Tuesday to create a nuclear workforce development program centered around building Westinghouse’s AP1000 reactor design.
The two entities said they will look to build a nuclear training center that could provide multidisciplinary certificate programs for multiple types of engineering students that are pursuing work in the nuclear sector. The program will be administered at the University of South Carolina Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing’s planned nuclear innovation center, according to the press release.
“While South Carolina is already a strong nuclear state, this strategic partnership between USC and Westinghouse will position the state as a national leader,” President of Westinghouse New Plant Delivery, Luca Oriani, said in the release. “This collaboration will support high-paying jobs and economic growth across South Carolina while strengthening and further developing the workforce needed to deliver the next generation of nuclear power plants and meet the rising demand for electricity.”
Ameresco and Terrestrial Energy will collaborate to deploy an advanced nuclear reactor at the Army’s Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland.
The project is expected to be a “phased development of natural gas and advanced nuclear commercial power generation,” according to Ameresco’s Sept. 21 press release. Terrestrial Energy will provide advanced nuclear technology for the Aberdeen project with its Integral Molten Salt Reactor, a 390 megawatt generation IV reactor powered by low-enriched uranium.
The Army selected Ameresco for the project under its Strategic Capital Initiative, separate from the Janus program. Ameresco was also selected to deploy advanced nuclear technology at the Army’s Picatinny Arsenal located in New Jersey. Ameresco is mulling whether it will use a microreactor or small modular reactor for that project.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) announced a grant of $10 million to support the state’s nuclear workforce development program this week.
The $10 million grant, approved by the New York Power Authority’s Board of Trustees, is aimed to assist in growing and training the nuclear workforce in New York as it pushes to add up to 5,000 megawatts of new nuclear energy. Hochul said in a Tuesday press release that this award will support New York’s immediate plans to build 1,000 megawatts of nuclear energy in Upstate New York, which was announced in June 2025.
“Advanced nuclear is a cornerstone of my all-of-the-above strategy to keep the lights on and costs down for New Yorkers,” Hochul said in the release. “The $10 million in funding approved today by the NYPA board will help ensure New York’s advanced nuclear future will be built by and for New Yorkers and also re-energize an industry that will create thousands of high-quality jobs while complementing our nation-leading efforts on wind and solar.”
