Cardinal News: Then & Now takes a look back at the stories we brought you over the last 12 months. Through the end of the year, we’re sharing updates on some of the people and issues that made news in 2025. This installment: Virginia’s efforts to expand its nuclear industry.
If Virginia wants to build new nuclear reactors, it’s going to take more than just people with “nuclear” in their job titles.
That’s one finding from recent research funded by the Virginia Innovation Hub, or VIN Hub, a nonprofit created in 2024 to grow the nuclear industry in the commonwealth.
“It’s things like, you need occupational health and safety specialists, you need electrical engineers, you need people that can deal with compliance, security, information security, cybersecurity,” said Jeff Whitt, executive director of VIN Hub.
“All of those are types of jobs we need to support the nuclear enterprise that typically you don’t think about.”
This past summer, the hub launched an analysis of the nuclear workforce in Virginia. The group is looking at how many jobs, and what kinds of jobs, would be needed to build and operate new nuclear power plants, if such construction got underway in Virginia.
As part of the first phase of the analysis, VIN Hub posted on its website a research report prepared by Henrico County-based Mangum Economics.
Constructing and operating new nuclear reactors would require hundreds of people in various occupations, and the report forecasts where Virginia might not have enough workers to meet the need if construction of new nuclear plants begins in earnest.
A 300-megawatt small modular reactor, or SMR, would require about 305 jobs to build and about 141 to operate per year, according to the research. If multiple reactors are built, those requirements would multiply.
While the industry would obviously require nuclear engineers and technicians, Mangum’s research found that the largest shortfalls in employment were in other areas such as laborers who move freight, or accountants and auditors.
“The deployment of nuclear is bigger than just what we typically think of as nuclear jobs,” Whitt said.
Electricians, first-line construction supervisors, industrial machinery mechanics and HVAC installers are among the other job types forecast to be in short supply under such a scenario.
With this and other findings in hand, VIN Hub plans to move its analysis to a second phase with a deeper dive into more industry-specific information. The ultimate goal is to provide policymakers and educators with a detailed picture of the commonwealth’s nuclear workforce needs.
The group’s work is bolstered by a $2.4 million grant awarded last month from the Virginia Power Innovation Program, which supports energy technology research and development.
The money will aid VIN Hub’s work in developing its nuclear workforce models.
It will also establish a small grants program to award money to colleges, K-12 schools, economic development organizations and other institutions that invest in a nuclear workforce.
“This is a smart, high-impact investment in Virginia’s energy future — leveraging state support into major economic, workforce, and industrial gains,” Virginia Energy Director Glenn Davis said in a news release announcing the grant.
VIN Hub was created in 2024 to bring together Virginia’s nuclear companies and educational institutions to advance research and develop a nuclear workforce.
Whitt was named executive director in February. He previously worked for Framatome, a French nuclear firm with North American headquarters in Lynchburg that employs about 1,300 people in the region and is a VIN Hub partner.
Framatome is one of several large nuclear industry players in Virginia. Others include Lynchburg-based BWX Technologies, which makes nuclear components and fuel for military and commercial customers; Reston-based Bechtel, which builds nuclear reactors; and Newport News Shipbuilding, which manufactures nuclear-powered submarines and aircraft carriers.
VIN Hub’s push to develop Virginia’s nuclear industry comes as forecasts show future electricity demand outpacing supply, thanks largely to data centers.
Nuclear power is seen as one potential solution to meet that demand because of its ability to provide 24/7 baseload power. Today, about one-third of electricity generated in Virginia comes from nuclear power; natural gas is the largest single source at about 55%.
The grant announced in November isn’t the first round of funding for VIN Hub. In 2024, it received $350,000 in seed funding. Earlier this year, the hub was awarded a $1.2 million state grant.
Part of VIN Hub’s work involves planning a research reactor facility — a micro-scale reactor used for educational and training purposes. Details such as its location and exact size have yet to be determined.
Whitt visited four research reactors around the United States this year to learn more about how they operate. He believes that having one in Virginia would be beneficial for both science and workforce reasons.
“I really think that a research reactor will not only solve technical issues but will be a talent attractor as well,” Whitt said.
On Dec. 4, a state commission focused on energy recommended that the Virginia General Assembly allocate $8 million toward developing the research reactor and VIN Hub’s other efforts, although lawmakers expressed skepticism that the request would come through during what is believed to be a tight budget year.
Another item on VIN Hub’s plate is developing a collaboration among industry and academic stakeholders to research advanced materials for use in the next generation of nuclear reactors.
Looking to next year, the hub plans a February summit for stakeholders to talk about the role of research reactors and of artificial intelligence and machine learning in the nuclear workforce.