Assembly plant will produce microreactors used to generate power, heat

The wait is over, and the conversation and the dream have become reality. Gadsden has landed Project Scout.

Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation of Seattle announced on Wednesday that it has selected Gadsden as the location of its MMR Assembly Plant.

The 578,000-square-foot facility will be a $232 million investment by the company. It will be on property at the Northeast Alabama Regional Airport and will, according to a news release from the company, manufacture, assemble and test non-radiological modules needed to construct USNC’s Micro-Modular Reactors.

It will be the country’s first commercial-scale advanced microreactor production factory, according to the news release. No radioactive material will be used or stored in Gadsden, company officials stressed.

Ground is expected to be broken this year, the projected start date for construction is 2024 and company officials expect the plant to be operational in 2027.

USNC’s Micro-Modular Reactors are now in development and are intended to generate clean, cost-effective and safe electrical power and heat.

The company’s website describes them as a “fission battery” that can be linked together to provide as much power as needed, and can be deployed “anywhere that humans need power,” in any climate, because they require no electrical grid, infrastructure support or water.

The facility will feature state-of-the-art advanced manufacturing processes and equipment, according to the news release, capable of turning out 10 complete reactor units annually. It will employ 250 professional and technical workers once it’s up and running.

Dan Stout, USNC’s chief nuclear officer, announced the company’s decision Wednesday morning during a keynote address at the 10th Advanced Reactors Summit and Technology Trailblazers Showcase in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Gadsden was chosen after a year-long search that involved hundreds of potential sites in 16 states. The company considered site suitability and infrastructure, the availability of a skilled workforce and overall project economics, according to the news release.

Given the local code name Project Scout, the possibility of the plant coming here has been discussed for several months, with both Gadsden and Etowah County offering incentives to make it happen. Mayor Craig Ford announced in April that Gadsden had been chosen as the “preferred site.”

The city that month abated noneducational property taxes for 20 years for the company. At the same time, it took a little more than $1.7 million out of its undesignated fund balance to purchase 150 acres at the airport.

The county in March exempted the company from ad valorem taxes for 20 years, and from sales and use taxes while construction of the new facility is underway.

Gov. Kay Ivey and Stout have signed a project agreement on the plant; final approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (required since it would be so close to the airport), the Department of Energy and other entities is pending.

“Alabama is home to an impressive array of highly innovative companies,” Ivey said, making it “an ideal place” for the new plant.

“This unique facility will benefit the Gadsden community through a significant investment and the creation of new jobs, while also reinforcing Alabama’s reputation for cutting-edge manufacturing operations,” she said.

Stout said, “We appreciate the interest and support for this effort from the City of Gadsden, Etowah County, the Alabama Department of Commerce and so many others up to and including Gov. Ivey and her talented team. We especially appreciate the guidance and efforts of April Gray at the Department of Commerce and David Hooks of the Gadsden-Etowah Industrial Development Authority in making this project a reality.”

Plant Director Ted Coulter said USNC was attracted to Gadsden “by their skilled workforce and the outstanding programs and support they are bringing to the table. 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.”

Company officials expect significant potential for expansion at the facility as demand for its MMRs increases, and say its suppliers also could establish a significant presence nearby, meaning additional growth opportunities in the area.

“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,” said state Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield. “This is safe and amazing technology, and I’m pleased that it will be ‘Made in Alabama.' ”

Ford called it “a game-changer for Gadsden,” adding that the choice “proves what I’ve known all my life about the unmatched grit and capability of our workforce.

“When I took office less than eight months ago, this was one of the first industrial project requests to cross my desk,” the mayor added, “and working toward today’s announcement has been my top priority since.

“With this plant being focused on manufacturing and assembly, our workforce is being built for exactly this type of industry,” Ford said. “We look forward to filling the hundreds of innovative, technology driven jobs once this new assembly plant becomes operational in 2027. Gadsden and USNC are excited to grow together.”

USNC is in its 11th year of operation and according to its listing at the American Nuclear Society “designs, licenses, manufactures and develops clean-energy technologies and projects.” It also produces Fully Ceramic Micro-encapsulated nuclear fuel, or FCMs, in which uranium bearing spheres called TRISOS are coated with ceramic particles to prevent radioactive fission particles from escaping.

It has active micro reactor deployment projects at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the Canadian Nuclear River Laboratories in Chalk River, Ontario. Development is underway on additional units in the U.S., Canada and Europe.

USNC also is working with NASA on potential nuclear thermal propulsion projects.