As energy secretary visits, local leaders discuss Workforce Hub plan

WAYNESBORO, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - The U.S. secretary of energy and the national climate adviser were at Plant Vogtle in Burke County on Friday.

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and President Joe Biden’s national climate adviser, Ali Zaidi, talked about the of American leadership in nuclear energy and the high-quality jobs that come with it.

While in Waynesboro, Granholm participated in a roundtable with White House officials, Augusta Mayor Garnett L. Johnson, representatives from the Richmond County School System, Augusta Technical College, Aiken Technical College, Syensqo, Aurubis Richmond LLC., Manus, and GF Casting Solutions.

They discussed how the Augusta Regional Workforce Hub — which was selected as part of the inaugural White House Workforce Hubs announced in May 2023 — is helping ensure Georgians can access high-paying jobs.

“I am proud of all that the Augusta Workforce Hub has accomplished in the past year,” Johnson said Friday. “We’ve celebrated job creation and economic development and have begun work to dismantle barriers to the workforce like transportation and childcare. This is just the beginning, though.”

The focus of the roundtable was to discuss employee training and partnerships in the context of the Workforce Hub Initiative.

Manufacturing partners were able to communicate with Granholm, and other key White House officials, their efforts in both workforce development and investing in training capacities within the Augusta region.

Similarly, education partners were able to provide insight into deg curriculum that will prepare students for clean energy manufacturing jobs.

“We see that as a path to prosperity, which is important. As you know, in Georgia, we continue to struggle with with a workforce that’s able and capable of meeting our job demands. So here in Augusta, at least we’re having a conversation we had today,” said Johnson.

They talked about how to set up future generations for success.

“Oftentimes, people in this region feel the need to have to leave Augusta to to attain a decent living. No longer is that the case,” said Johnson.

By working together and offering more opportunities early on, students could work at a places like Plant Vogtle in the future.

Heinrich Meier with GF Casting Solutions said: “To community is strong. And that’s what we really also felt why when choosing Augustus as a place, we see that there is a lot of collaboration that wants to be done between colleges between businesses. And that’s what we want to strengthen as well in the in the future.”

The visit comes as officials this week held a series of celebrations for the expansion of the nuclear plant with Units 3 and 4 now in operation.

Also at Vogtle on Friday was U.S. Rep. Rick Allen, R-Augusta.

He noted at the ceremony that he’d witnessed various stages of progress throughout the Unit 3 and Unit 4 construction process.

“This project has been years in the making, and today, we gathered to celebrate its successful completion — making Plant Vogtle the largest nuclear power station in the country,” he said.

“Not only will the new units provide energy security for Georgia homes and businesses for decades to come, but this project has also contributed billions in economic impact and provided 800 permanent jobs for hardworking Georgians. I was proud to do my part at the federal level to see this project over the finish line, and I commend Southern Company, Oglethorpe Power, MEAG Power and Dalton Utilities for their commitment to ensuring America’s nuclear future starts in the 12th District of Georgia.”

A call for more nuclear

Granholm called for more nuclear reactors to be built in the United States and worldwide. But the CEO of the Georgia utility that just finished the first two scratch-built American reactors in a generation at a cost of nearly $35 billion says his company isn’t ready to pick up that baton.

Granholm said the United States needs 98 more reactors with the capacity of Units 3 and 4 at Plant Vogtle to produce electricity while reducing climate-changing carbon emissions. Each of the two new reactors can power 500,000 homes and businesses without releasing any carbon.

“It is now time for others to follow their lead to reach our goal of getting to net zero by 2050,” Granholm said. “We have to at least triple our current nuclear capacity in this country.”

The federal government says it is easing the risks of nuclear construction, but the $11 billion in cost overruns at Plant Vogtle remain sobering for other utilities. Chris Womack is the CEO of Southern Co., the Atlanta-based parent company of Georgia Power. He said he s Granholm’s call for more nuclear-power generation, but he added that his company won’t build more soon.

“I think the federal government should provide a leadership role in facilitating and making that become a reality,” Womack said. “We’ve had a long experience, and we’re going to celebrate what we’ve gotten done here for a good little while.”

Friday’s event capped a week of celebrations, where leaders proclaimed the reactors a success, even though they finished seven years late.

On Wednesday, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp floated the idea of a fifth Vogtle reactor. Although the Republican Kemp rarely discusses climate change, he has made electric vehicles a priority and has said new industries demand carbon-free electricity.

“One of the first questions on their minds is: Can we provide them with what they need?” Kemp said. “We can confidently answer ‘Yes!’ because of days like today.”

The new Vogtle reactors are currently projected to cost Georgia Power and three other owners $31 billion, according to calculations by The Associated Press. Add in $3.7 billion that original contractor Westinghouse paid Vogtle owners to walk away from construction, and the total nears $35 billion.

Electric customers in Georgia already have paid billions for what may be the most expensive power plant ever. The federal government aided Vogtle by guaranteeing the repayment of $12 billion in loans, reducing borrowing costs.

On Wednesday, President Joe Biden’s istration held a meeting to promote nuclear power, saying it would create a working group to ease the challenges that dogged Vogtle.

The Biden istration promised that the military would commission reactors, which could help drive down costs for others. It also noted for smaller reactors, suggesting small reactors could replace coal-fueled electric generating plants that are closing. The istration also pledged to further streamline licensing.

Granholm said she believed others could learn from Vogtle’s mistakes, like starting construction before plans were completed. She also predicted additional models of the Vogtle reactors, which were the first of their kind built in the United States, could be built at lower cost.

“So the question is, how do you learn from the new design in the second and the third and the fourth and the fifth plant? If you don’t vary the design, it gets 30% less expensive every time you build it,” Granholm said.

Audrey Dickherber and The Associated Press contributed to this report

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