Westinghouse Plans Expansion
By Mike Pare, Chattanooga Times/Free Press, Tenn.
Mar. 13–The expansion of the nuclear industry has spurred Westinghouse Electric Co. to grow its Chattanooga operations with plans to create more than 50 jobs, officials said Wednesday.
The company is slated to invest $9.45 million into a new services facility with the purchase of the former Metals USA building in Centre South Riverport off Amnicola Highway, said company spokesman Vaughn Gilbert.
“New plant business is starting to emerge,” he said. “We’re in a growth mode.”
Westinghouse now leases a building from Alstom Power on Riverfront Parkway. Alstom had planned to discontinue the lease because it needs the facility for its $280 million expansion announced in December.
Russell L. Bussard, facilities and real estate manager for Monroeville, Penn.-based Westinghouse, said its local officials made “a substantial and well-founded case to maintain and grow our Chattanooga facility.”
Westinghouse Nuclear Services employs 75 people at the Riverfront Parkway facility. According to Westinghouse, its service technicians can earn $60,000 a year or more.
Metals USA, which operated a steel service center in Chattanooga since early this decade, closed its facility about a year ago. As many as 40 people had worked there.
Late last year, Alstom Power unveiled its effort to make steam and gas turbines for the nuclear and fossil power plant business and add 360 people to its 600-member work force in the city.
Trevor Hamilton, the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce’s vice president for economic development, said Westinghouse’s plan helps Chattanooga’s standing in that sector.
“This coming on the heels of the Alstom announcement continues to solidify Chattanooga’s role as a leader and good market location for the power generation industry,” he said.
Mayor Ron Littlefield also said the Westinghouse announcement continues to move Chattanooga forward in the nuclear energy business.
“We have long touted Chattanooga’s assets to businesses,” he said.
Hamilton County Mayor Claude Ramsey said the influx of jobs which pay much better than the average is “good news for the local economy.”
According to Hoover’s, Westinghouse provides design work and start-up help for new nuclear power plants and makes many of the components. Westinghouse also manufactures and supplies the commercial fuel products needed to run the plants, and it offers training, engineering, maintenance, and quality management services, Hoover’s said.
What’s Next
Westinghouse Electric Co. plans to occupy its new Chattanooga facility in Centre South Riverport by May 1.
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