Virginia governor signs bill that could lead to future work for HII
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin signed a state bill in July that will accelerate the development, testing and deployment of small modular nuclear reactors. The bill could lead to future work for HII.
“The magic is in the words: small modular reactors,” said Dave Long, a vice president of operations at HII’s Mission Technologies division. “Knowing that we optimized modular construction on the large AP1000 plant work HII did for the Vogtle plants that are providing power to the grid today! Also knowing that our expertise at HII goes deep—we have been optimizing heavy steel modular construction at Newport News Shipbuilding for over 40 years.”
While SB 454 specifically mentions Dominion Energy Virginia, HII leaders spoke in support of the legislation during the General Assembly session, and HII President and CEO Chris Kastner described it as “another important step toward expanding use of safe, reliable nuclear power to meet Virginia’s and the nation’s future energy needs.”
“As home to companies with leading nuclear expertise, it only makes sense for Virginia to lead the way in this area,” Kastner said. “As the builder of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines for the U.S. Navy, steward of complex nuclear projects for the U.S. Department of Energy, and largest industrial employer in the Commonwealth, HII is proud to continue to work with Governor Youngkin to realize this important opportunity safely, for our shared future.”
Long, who attended the signing event at Dominion Energy’s North Anna Power Station in Louisa County, said HII is positioned to support new nuclear work, including large, small modular, and micro-reactors, “by leveraging our nuclear and disciplined operations expertise from our naval nuclear business.”
“As we work to team with reactor developers/designers and other stakeholders,” he added, “our offerings include structural steel fabrication; engineering support for manufacturability and modularity; supply chain integration and management; program management and integration; and start-up, test and commissioning. SB 454 is paving the way to make this work for HII a reality.”
For more information about SB 454, visit lis.virginia.gov. The governor’s news release is available at www.governor.virginia.gov.
