The Seattle-based Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation has plans to construct a $232 million facility in Gadsden to manufacture microreactors, and is expected to break ground on the facility sometime in 2024.
News of the project was revealed Wednesday by Gov. Kay Ivey, and by company chief nuclear officer Dan Stout, who also on Wednesday announced the company’s plans to invest in the northeastern Alabama city during a technology showcase in North Carolina.
The 578,000 square-foot facility will create 250 jobs, and primarily manufacture components to what the company calls its Micro-Modular Reactor, a nuclear energy system capable of producing up to 10 megawatts of energy. For reference, a single megawatt is enough energy to power between 400 and 900 homes an entire year, according to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
While the company primarily deals in nuclear energy, no radioactive material will be used or stored at the new facility, according to Ivey’s office.
“Alabama is home to an impressive array of highly innovative companies, so our state is an ideal place for Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation’s new advanced microreactor assembly plant,” Ivey said. “This unique facility will benefit the Gadsden community through a significant investment and the creation of good jobs, while also reinforcing Alabama’s reputation for cutting-edge manufacturing operations.”
Of those 250 new jobs, many will be filled locally, according to Ted Coulter, the plant director for the new facility.
“We are attracted to Gadsden by their skilled workforce and the outstanding training programs and support they are bringing to the table,” Coulter said. “In Gadsden, I have confidence we can hire local talent and operate with both safety and efficiency. We are looking forward to becoming a member of the community.”
Gadsden was selected after what the company called a “year-long search” that spanned 16 states and hundreds of potential sites. With a population of just over 33,000, Gadsden was ultimately chosen due to its “site suitability and infrastructure, skilled workforce availability, and overall project economics,” according to the company.
Greg Canfield, secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce, called the technology produced by USNC “safe and amazing,” and said the investment would make Gadsden a major hub for the production of reliable energy.
“USNC’s microreactors will be produced at the state-of-the-art facility in Gadsden and shipped as modules to sites around the world, allowing for the generation of reliable energy anywhere,” Canfield said. “This is safe and amazing technology, and I’m pleased that it will be ‘Made in Alabama.’”
While announced on Wednesday, Gadsden Mayor Craig Ford said he had been working toward the facility’s reveal for months, and that the workforce in his community was “built for exactly this type of industry.”
“When I took office less than eight months ago, this was one of the first industrial project requests to cross my desk and working toward today’s announcement has been my top priority since,” Ford said.
“With this plant being focused on manufacturing and assembly, our workforce is built for exactly this type of industry. We look forward to filling the hundreds of innovative, technology-driven jobs once this new assembly plant becomes operational in 2027.”
The facility, which would be the first commercial-scale advanced microreactor manufacturing facility in the country, will be capable of producing up to 10 complete micro-modular reactors a year, and is expected to be fully operational in 2027.