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Youngkin announces $8.1M in GO Virginia grants
A variety of projects around the state intended to spur economic and workforce development will get a boost from $8.1 million in state GO Virginia grants, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Friday. The 17 projects are expected to add hundreds of jobs. Nearly $4.8 million will fund two Virginia Tech projects, including one expected to build […]
SHARON SMOOT
Smoot is a unicorn — a Black woman overseeing 4,700 employees in the highly technical field of manufacturing components for nuclear reactors. Named last summer as head of the Lynchburg-based federal contractor’s nuclear division, Smoot spent 30 years as a civilian employee of the U.S. Navy, ultimately serving as executive director for logistics, maintenance and […]
Framatome CEO retiring; CFO to be promoted
Framatome Inc. President and CEO Gary Mignogna will retire July 1, and Chief Financial Officer Katherine Williams will succeed him, the Lynchburg-based nuclear reactor and fuel company announced Tuesday. Mignogna will become chairman of Framatome Inc.’s board upon his retirement. Williams, who will continue to serve as CFO, has worked for Framatome, a French nuclear […]
Southwest Virginia could get small modular nuclear reactor
In early October, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced his goal of developing a small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) in Southwest Virginia within 10 years, part of a plan to make the region an epicenter of energy innovation. Not long after, Youngkin said he planned to allocate $10 million to create the Virginia Power Innovation Fund, with […]
Crowded out
Election years are not the time to make waves in Virginia’s legislature, says Greg Habeeb, a former Roanoke delegate who now advises clients pursuing legislation in the General Assembly. Big changes — the kind the state saw during the Democrats’ two years of full legislative control in 2020 and 2021 — are expected to be […]
BWXT begins production of fuel for 1st U.S. microreactor
Lynchburg-based BWX Technologies Inc. has begun producing the nuclear fuel that will power the first microreactor built and operated in the United States, the company announced Wednesday. BWXT will manufacture a nuclear core for Project Pele under a $37 million award from the Idaho National Laboratory, as well as tristructural isotropic particle fuel, known as […]
Dominion Energy promotes exec to CFO
Richmond-based Dominion Energy Inc. has promoted Steven D. Ridge to chief financial officer and senior vice president, replacing James R. Chapman, who will leave the company, the Fortune 500 utility announced Friday. Currently vice president of investor relations, Ridge will start his new role later this month and will be responsible for corporate and financial […]
Hitachi Energy plans $37M expansion in Halifax County
Hitachi Energy Ltd. will invest $37 million to expand its operation in Halifax County, creating 165 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Wednesday. The technology company will add 26,000 square feet to its existing facility in the county to make space for a new production line of large transformers to support the utility and renewable energy […]
Charlotte County approves Va.’s largest solar farm
The largest solar project in Charlotte County — and Virginia, according to Dominion Energy Inc. — was approved by the county’s Board of Supervisors in July. Reston-based utility-scale solar developer SolUnesco LLC received a conditional-use permit to build the $800 million to $1.6 billion Randolph Solar project in the southern part of the county. SolUnesco […]
Fluence announces next CEO, president
Julian Nebreda will become Arlington-based energy storage and digital applications company Fluence Energy Inc.’s president and CEO on Sept. 1. Nebrada succeeds Manuel Pérez Dubuc, who will step down on Aug. 31. Nebreda has been a Fluence board member since September 2021 and was most recently executive vice president and president of U.S. & Global […]
SCC approves Dominion’s $9.8B offshore wind farm
The State Corporation Commission has approved Dominion Energy Inc.’s application for the proposed $9.8 billion Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project (CVOW), which calls for the construction of 176 wind turbines 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach. The Richmond-based Fortune 500 utility has already erected two pilot turbines for its 2.6-gigawatt Coastal Virginia Offshore […]
BWXT appoints new president of nuclear operations
The new president of BWX Technology’s Nuclear Operations Group Inc. spent three decades working for the Navy as a civilian. Sharon H. Smoot started her new position Aug. 1. She is responsible for the BWXT subsidiary’s mission to provide a range of nuclear components and services, including manufacturing reactor components for Navy submarines and aircraft […]
