Gov. Bev Perdue announced today that the state will be giving “job development investment grants” — big cash subsidies, in other words — to a company that markets advanced boiling water nuclear reactors and the engineering know-how to make them work. The company, part of a Toshiba Corporation subsidiary, is setting up shop in Charlotte, not coincidentally the home of Duke Energy, which is thinking real strongly about building two more nuclear plants in the Carolinas. Not far from Charlotte is the Shearon Harris nuclear plant in Wake County, where Progress Energy may also try to add one or two reactors to the one already there.
The U.S. hasn’t licensed a new nuclear reactor in many years. But Toshiba America Nuclear Energy Corp., Perdue noted with satisfaction, is already leading the charge, as it were, for two new nukes in Texas:
The company is the prime contractor for the construction of two nuclear reactors planned for Texas, near Houston. These facilities, subject to a license application pending before the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, have the potential to be among the first new reactors built in the nation in more than 30 years.
And forget Texas when it comes to bidness-friendly states, Perdue says:
‘North Carolina is a world leader in providing the knowledge-based workforce, design and research support vital to the development of the energy sector,” Gov. Perdue said. ‘Our state’s business-friendly policies and unparalleled quality of life continue to attract top global companies and high-paying jobs.”
So when it comes to nukes, Charlotte’s the place to be, she quotes the Toshiba CEO as saying:
‘Charlotte is becoming the place to be in the U.S. for nuclear engineers,” said Fuyuki Saito, president and chief executive officer of Toshiba America Nuclear Energy Corp. ‘The quality of the workforce, quality of life and strong support we have received from state and local officials make Charlotte a perfect fit for our new center.”
The full statement from the Governor’s Office is below:
Nuclear Energy Engineering, Construction Management Firm Bringing 194 Jobs to Charlotte
State Grant Helps Toshiba America
Open National Center
RALEIGH – Gov. Bev Perdue today announced that Toshiba America Nuclear Energy Corp., a nuclear power plant engineering and construction management company, will open its national project management and engineering center in Mecklenburg County. The company plans to invest $2.8 million and create 194 new jobs in Charlotte during the next five years.
‘North Carolina is a world leader in providing the knowledge-based workforce, design and research support vital to the development of the energy sector,” Gov. Perdue said. ‘Our state’s business-friendly policies and unparalleled quality of life continue to attract top global companies and high-paying jobs.”
The state’s Economic Investment Committee met today and voted to award a Job Development Investment Grant to Toshiba America Nuclear Energy Corp. to facilitate this new project. While wages will vary by position, the company plans to create new jobs with an average annual wage of $122,037, not including benefits. This greatly exceeds the Mecklenburg County average annual wage of $49,400.
Toshiba America Nuclear Energy Corp., based in Virginia, is part of Toshiba America Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Toshiba Corp. The company markets and sells advanced boiling water nuclear reactors (ABWR) to be constructed in the United States and provides engineering, licensing, construction management, maintenance and other services for nuclear power plants. The company also sells turbines and other major equipment for nuclear power plants.
The company is the prime contractor for the construction of two nuclear reactors planned for Texas, near Houston. These facilities, subject to a license application pending before the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, have the potential to be among the first new reactors built in the nation in more than 30 years.
‘Charlotte is becoming the place to be in the U.S. for nuclear engineers,” said Fuyuki Saito, president and chief executive officer of Toshiba America Nuclear Energy Corp. ‘The quality of the workforce, quality of life and strong support we have received from state and local officials make Charlotte a perfect fit for our new center.”
For each of the grant’s nine years in which the company meets the required performance targets, the state will provide a grant equal to 60 percent of the state personal income withholding taxes derived from the creation of new jobs. If the company creates the jobs called for under the agreement and sustains them for nine years, the agreement could yield nearly $4.9 million in maximum benefits for Toshiba America Nuclear Energy and up to $1.62 million to the Industrial Development Fund for infrastructure improvements in economically distressed counties. When a Job Development Investment Grant is awarded to one of the state’s more economically prosperous counties such as Mecklenburg, 25 percent of the grant award is allocated to the Industrial Development Fund to encourage economic development in less prosperous counties.
Job Development Investment Grants are awarded only to new and expanding businesses and industrial projects whose benefits exceed the costs to the state and which would not be undertaken in North Carolina without the grant. Since the first grant was awarded in 2003, the program has been responsible for creating commitments for more than 30,000 jobs and $5 billion in investment in North Carolina.
Other partners that assisted with this announcement include: the N.C. Department of Commerce, the N.C. Department of Revenue, the Charlotte Regional Partnership,Mecklenburg County, City of Charlotte and the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce.
North Carolina employment inquiries should be e-mailed to Toshiba America Nuclear Energy Corp., beginning Wednesday, April 29, at: tane_nc@tane.toshiba.com
