[NukeNet] Chattanooga, TN, plant expanding to build nuclear power plant turbines

[Wild Clearing]

Priming the job pump ...

Chattanooga, TN, plant expanding to build nuclear power plant turbines

By Mike Pare
Staff Writer
(Chattanooga, TN, Times Free Press)

A riverfront site in Chattanooga that held nearly 6,000 workers three  
decades ago making nuclear power plant components soon will house  
workers taking part in a revival of that industry.

Alstom Power will make steam and gas turbines as it seeks to capture  
business related to nuclear and fossil power plant construction in  
the United States, officials said Monday.

The company will add about 360 people to its 600-member work force in  
the city, and it will inject $280 million into its Riverfront Parkway  
facility in new equipment and refitting existing buildings, officials  
said.

"The demand is high for this equipment," said Guy Chardon, a senior  
vice president for the company based in Paris.

The plant site, while run by Combustion Engineering in the 1970s,  
once employed about 5,700 people when nuclear power plant  
construction was in full swing.

In the past five months, federal regulators have received license  
applications for six new nuclear reactors in the United States as the  
industry anticipates a wave of construction. The Alstom site also  
will produce turbines for existing nuclear and other power plants,  
Mr. Chardon said, but it will hold no radioactive materials.

Alstom's facility now focuses on replacement components for coal- 
fired power plants. The new division at the facility is to start  
operations within two to three years in 350,000 square feet of space,  
Mr. Chardon said.

He said most hiring will be done in the six to nine months before  
operations start so those workers can be trained, though small  
numbers of employees will be brought on soon. Company officials  
declined to discuss wage rates.

Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce officials said wages will be  
above the average annual salary of $33,941 in Hamilton County.

Trevor Hamilton, the Chamber's vice president for economic  
development, said landing the new Alstom division "reinforces our  
leadership as a hub" in the energy-related sector.

"This is a major milestone for one of our own," he said. "Tennessee  
can compete in a global scale for manufacturing."

Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen said the jobs and investment will have a  
ripple effect in the state.

"When I think of France, I will think of wine, cars and turbines," he  
said.

Matt Kisber, commissioner of the state Department of Economic and  
Community Development, said Alstom will benefit from policy changes  
made in a couple of tax incentives offered by the state.

He said Alstom will be eligible for the state's job tax credit and  
its industrial machinery credit.

Officials said an incentive package was not finalized, and there was  
no estimate of how much in tax breaks Alstom could receive.

However, the company could seek a payment in lieu of property tax  
agreement, and it is expected to receive incentive money from the  
Tennessee Valley Authority's Valley Advantage Fund, they said.

Also, Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield said there will be road and  
traffic signal upgrades near the plant, and he said plans are to  
build a section of the Tennessee Riverwalk along the river side of  
the facility.

He said Alstom officials asked the area around the plant be given  
attention.

Hamilton County Mayor Claude Ramsey said Alstom is interested in the  
work force and how it is trained. That is a key part of Alstom's  
future, said Mr. Ramsey, adding he has visited Alstom plants in  
Switzerland, France and China.

Mr. Chardon said an important element that sealed the deal for  
Chattanooga was transportation infrastructure such as the river.

"Chattanooga is an ideal location," he said.

Mr. Chardon said Alstom can reach 80 percent of nuclear power plants  
by water from Chattanooga.

Tom Kilgore, TVA's chief executive, said Alstom is a supplier to the  
utility.

"We look forward to being a future customer of the turbines," he said.

U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., said the location of the investment  
"underscores the importance of Chattanooga and the Tennessee Valley  
Corridor as a center for energy technologies in the nation."



Wes Rehberg
Wild Clearing
www.wildclearing.com
www.nonviolentways.org





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