Bacon's Rebellion

Democracy Thrives in Sunlight

Virginia’s Nuclear Power Cluster Just Got Bigger

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by

James A. Bacon
in

Welcome the newest player to Virginia’s nuclear industry cluster: Toshiba America Nuclear Power.

The newly formed company has set up shop in Alexandria with the mission of marketing and promoting advanced boiling water (ABWR) nuclear power plants and providing support for related services. As the business develops, Toshiba plans to expand U.S. operations to provide licensing and engineering support related to construction of future nuclear power plants, including plant design and procurement.

U.S. power companies have announced plans to build over 30 new nuclear power plants in coming years. According to a press release, Toshiba and Westinghouse, a Toshiba Group company, are promoting their advanced boiling water reactors and pressurized water reactors. Toshiba’s initial staff will be about 30, a figure that is expected to increase as work on U.S. nukes gathers steam (so to speak).

The new company also will be a vehicle for Toshiba and Westinghouse to exchange know-how for the operation and maintenance of existing plants. Toshiba America also will handle licensing for the 4S, a new type of super-safe, small and simple system for nuclear power generation, a promising technology for future distributed power sources, and lay the groundwork for future marketing of the system.

Besides the nuclear power plants operated by Dominion, significant pockets of nuclear-power expertise reside in Virginia, mainly in Lynchburg and Newport News. I had never considered the possibility that proximity to Washington, D.C., and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission might be a competitive advantage in attracting nuclear-related enterprises, but a hint in Toshiba’s press release — the statement that it will provide licensing support — suggests that may be the case.

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  1. Larry Gross Avatar
    Larry Gross

    “I had never considered the possibility that proximity to Washington, D.C., and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission might be a competitive advantage in attracting nuclear-related enterprises”

    indeed .. please name a part of the Fed Govt that does NOT have it’s headquarters in the Wash Metro Area.

    There is no magic formula to the economic powerhouse that is NoVa (and Md).. it’s not even Geography.. it’s serendipity and destiny … for any place that ended up cheek-by-jowl with the center gravity of a national government.

    And consider this – no matter how big or how small nuclear power becomes in the future – there will ALWAYS be a Fed Agency with offices that will have private sector companies like Toshiba coming through those office doors to talk turkey with the Feds.

    Okay.. so I’m gonna lay down a marker here and run like heck cuz I’m pretty sure some of the NoVa guys are going to be hot after my hide.

    Here’s my question.

    If there was not/is not no genius jurisdiction and/or leaders of such who can claim success of their efforts to bring the Feds here… then why should they keep the revenues that accrue rather than letting the State of Va divide up said revenues?

    more succinct – who is the genius that convinced Toshiba and companies like it to locate in NoVa or .. more likely.. no genius.. just dumb luck…

    just a question… as I slip on my running shoes…

    🙂

  2. Groveton Avatar
    Groveton

    You can run but you can’t hide.

    1. The placing of Washington, DC where it is located was largely the work of George Washington – a long time Fairfax County resident. We got the governemnt here and we get the benefits of that early good work by a Fairfax County leader. Another leader – Charlottesville’s own Thomas Jefferson was also instrumental in the decision. As a resident of RoVA he clearly understood that the new headquarters of government should be in NoVA.

    2. Although the people who post on this blog don’t know it – Maryland is also adjacent to Washington, DC. If economic success is just a matter of being close to DC then Prince George’s County, MD (and Washington, DC itself for that matter) would be economic butt-kickers. They are not.

    3. If DC were the “be all and end all” then every nuclear power construction company would be located around DC. They are not.

    4. In the early part of America’s history Virginia was the most populous colony / state. It was an economic, political and intellectual center in the US. However, after peaking in about 1790, Virginia started a steady decline in power and importance. None of that decline had anything to do with the location of Washington, DC. It was simple sloth and neglect combined with Jefferson’s misbelief that cities were evil places that should be avoided and discouraged. He didn’t get many wrong – but he sure got that one wrong.

    I think every place has something upon which it can capitalize. San Diego has a great harbor and beautiful weather. I guess you could credit its municipal success solely to God. However, the people of San Diego took advantage of their opportunities and made a great city.

    Research Triangle, NC used to be a center for tobacco farming. When that industry started to look bleak (in the 1960s), the local politicians looked around, realized that they were in the middle of three outstanding universities and capitalized on that long-decided fact by creating a technology powerhouse. I guess you could credit the technology prowess of Research Triangle, NC to the founders of Duke, UNC and NC State – although you’d have to give them credit for 100 years of foresight.

    In the end, I guess there are two kinds of people – those who take advantage of the opportunities presented and those who sit around complaining how unfair life is.

    Larry – a bit of advice. As you start running – try to head north. We can provide opportunity for you – but only if you promise to stop whining.

    😉

  3. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    Considering the creatures that wound up occupying the place, it was serendipitous that Washingotn was located in a swamp.

    I hope Toshiba’s nuclear plants work better than their power tools.

  4. Larry Gross Avatar
    Larry Gross

    Groveton.. is it whining or envy?

    .. and you left out Montgomery County… MD.. the richest place in the US of A – right?

    .. but old George and TJ.. do ya think if they picked Charleston, WVa, that Fairfax would still rein supreme?

    would you still think them both still brilliant if they had picked ..say C’ville instead?

    Why did the Wash metro area not become a major seaport instead competing with the likes of Baltimore and HR/TW?

    serendipity right?

    No matter.

    I’m betting those RoVa guys also harbor such secret salacious thoughts also though.

  5. Michael Ryan Avatar
    Michael Ryan

    Yeah, baby, I’m gettin’ me one of these, and going off the grid. It should fit in my garage.

  6. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    “Why did the Wash metro area not become a major seaport instead competing with the likes of Baltimore and HR/TW?”

    Georgetown was a major seaport, and so was the Tobacco river. In those days the water was a hundred feet deep. The water in the Tobacco river today is about 5 feet deep.

    That, plus the problem of tacking a sqaure rigger ninety miles up river.

    RH

  7. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    Toshiba Reactors.

    Yeah, well, Id like to build a couple of ponds, too.

    If I could afford the permit.

    Yep. Electricity – five cents a kilowatt. Permit $2.50 a kilowatt.

    Permission from your neighbors.

    Priceless.

    RH

  8. Groveton Avatar
    Groveton

    “.. and you left out Montgomery County… MD.. the richest place in the US of A – right?”

    Yes – another well run jurisdiction.

    “.. but old George and TJ.. do ya think if they picked Charleston, WVa, that Fairfax would still rein supreme?”.

    Probably not – hard to say if the people here would have figured something else out. However, they didn’t have to figure anything else out because one of the residents (i.e. George Washington) successfully got the seat of US federal government located near his home.

    “would you still think them both still brilliant if they had picked ..say C’ville instead?”

    I never said they were both brilliant – I said that George Washington was effective in finding a way to build an economy in his area. Charlottesville would have been a fine place for the capital. However, both Washington and Jefferson needed to convince their cohorts to locate the new capital close to Virginia. Putting it in NoVA (on land donated by both Virginia and Maryland) made the decision look less like a “Virginia power play” than putting it somewhere in the middle of Virginia. Even then, Washington (George, not DC) was thinking ahead.

    “Why did the Wash metro area not become a major seaport instead competing with the likes of Baltimore and HR/TW?”.

    Georgetown and Alexandria were both major seaports. But they were too far from the ocean compared to alternatives. Most importantly, Fairfax County resident George Washington came up with a better idea than being just another seaport.

    “Considering the creatures that wound up occupying the place, it was serendipitous that Washingotn was located in a swamp.”.

    Please be quiet. I just caught a mouse for breakfast and would like some peace and quiet while I eat it.

    “Groveton.. is it whining or envy?”

    Both?

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