A developer proposing to build an advanced nuclear energy project in Amherst County has revealed the specific location that it has in mind.
Charlotte, North Carolina-based Geenex Power is proposing a small modular nuclear reactor, or SMR, to be called Beck Creek Energy, which would provide up to 650 megawatts of power. For context, a traditional nuclear reactor often has a power capability of around 1,000 megawatts.
The company hopes to build it on an approximately 250-acre property between Joshua Falls Road and a bend of the James River, south of Galts Mill Road in eastern Amherst County. The property is owned by Traber Family River Ranch LLC.
The site is just across the river from Appalachian Power’s Joshua Falls electric substation. Geenex officials have said they chose that site partly because of its proximity to the substation and a connected high-voltage transmission line that could handle Beck Creek Energy’s power capacity.
The disclosure Thursday of the project location comes two days after company officials announced the project during an Amherst County Board of Supervisors meeting but declined to specify exactly where it would go, citing a need for further due diligence.
“Every project Geenex develops starts by maintaining strong relationships with the landowners,” Geenex spokesperson Molly Hale said Thursday in an email to Cardinal News. “We wanted to ensure our Beck Creek Energy landowner-partners were familiar with the announcement made on Tuesday and were prepared for the location of the site to be made public. We’ve been in regular communication with them and felt it was now appropriate to release the proposed site location.”
Traber Family River Ranch LLC is the limited-liability company behind Traber Ranch, which, according to its website, was established in 2020 and grows wagyu beef. It also operates the Trading Post Music Hall & Speakeasy entertainment venue in downtown Lynchburg.
A phone message left with Traber Ranch was not immediately returned Thursday.
The northern part of the property is about three-quarters of a mile south of Beck Creek, which connects to the river in the Galts Mill area. Delany Bolton, project development manager, said in a phone interview Tuesday that the name is intended to evoke a local connection to the area but that the project would not be on the creek or use its water.
APCo is looking into developing its own SMR at the Joshua Falls substation in Campbell County. That location is also the proposed starting point for the Valley Link Joshua Falls to Yeat transmission line, which would extend a 765-kilovolt power line from Campbell into Northern Virginia.
No commercial SMRs have yet been built in the U.S.
Beck Creek Energy is in the early stages, and many aspects, such as its proposed site design, have yet to be finalized. Geenex is a site developer that focuses on site selection, permitting and community outreach, and it will eventually identify a partner company that would build and operate the nuclear plant.
Geenex plans to submit a local permitting application for Beck Creek Energy in 2027. The project will require other state and federal regulatory approval, and the company anticipates construction beginning in the early 2030s.
Meanwhile, Geenex plans a series of informational community meetings, with the first possibly being held next month.
Chris Hallameyer, Geenex’s director of external affairs, told Amherst County supervisors on Tuesday that the company is “committed to meeting people and fostering open, transparent dialogue as the project advances.”
