[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6618426,"mediaKeyId","5324605-8f679c9f4fc9eb9889a789effe1df0d0","parentId",5324605,"title","Commonwealth Fusion Systems selects Chesterfield County for first commercial fusion power plant","audioSeconds",664,"startMs",380000,"endMs",1044000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5324605-8f679c9f4fc9eb9889a789effe1df0d0&start=380&end=1044","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5324605-8f679c9f4fc9eb9889a789effe1df0d0/thumbnail_380000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6618426/Virginia/Commonwealth-Fusion-Systems-selects-Chesterfield-County-for-first-commercial-fusion-power-plant","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6618426-c6333417661eaa31206255430ee1aa83/orig.mp4?Expires=1770453015&Signature=iHvCisFnfGLRIYRmNCvLUy711VUk9winTXNwsdtcO2lbA-W8~nz4Vqv6PQeLE8ieKlJtyJ7lkuAEDVvLr8STaDeuOam6WEvpZxtKO~WxGhhhbI-f~Z7~I3og6BBEVwr1JR0xfxEhOYGN2jihojsirWlx1ehQj5oYhUT2oWpB8h22-ZgS6zwMj5P-BkRdZLGDBnSfmOoLL7SFUoFmetpevapa~bbA01BOb5wGqozjL5LCk7a98-LOai~Wj~2YHFvW0hNotW5cmVr0Nw2ebQmlc2ivKmzLyqVI8O6479xoNs9qr2gkwlhTFgxHbLpwihYIj0gVmGQliCxYwxVxVy4YcA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Virginia Energy","date","2025-03-25T00:00:00Z","article","Commonwealth Fusion Systems on Tuesday said it has selected a site in Chesterfield County, Virginia, for its first commercial fusion power plant and is preparing to begin site work there.

Kristen Collin, vice president of global policy and public affairs at Commonwealth Fusion Systems, told members of the authority that the company chose the site after a roughly two-and-a-half-year siting process that emphasized proximity to an interconnection, access to skilled labor, and local partnerships. She said the site is Dominion Energy–owned and is easily accessible from I‑95 and a nearby airport.

Collin said the company plans to build an ARC-class power plant in Chesterfield County that would have about 400 megawatts of net capacity. Collin described CFS’s near-term program as a two-step approach: the SPARC prototype under construction in Massachusetts, which she said is set to be operational in 2026, and ARC, the commercial design the company expects to put power on the grid in the early 2030s.

“Fusion is incredibly energy dense,” Collin said, describing the technology as a high‑energy‑density heat source that can be used to produce firm, dispatchable electricity.

Collin outlined elements of the company’s technology path: a conventional tokamak fusion machine combined with high‑temperature superconducting magnets that CFS developed and is manufacturing at scale in Devens, Massachusetts. She said the firm has raised the majority of its funding privately and has more than 1,000 employees.

On regulation and licensing, Collin said the Nuclear Regulatory Commission voted to regulate fusion under 10 CFR part 30 and that because Virginia is an NRC agreement state, the state will be involved in issuing radiological authorizations for fusion facilities. She said the NRC’s rulemaking and the state’s implementing procedures remain in progress.

Collin also described funding the company has received through Department of Energy programs, saying CFS won a DOE milestone award of roughly $15 million and participates in INFUSE‑style lab collaboration programs. She said those awards supplement primarily private capital commitments.

During questions, members pressed CFS on supply‑chain and workforce plans, the company’s timing relative to other private fusion developers, and whether deployment in Virginia depends on additional federal grants. Collin said CFS views its challenge as primarily engineering and supply‑chain scaling rather than unresolved physics and that the firm is focused on building supply chains, training a workforce, and partnering with local colleges and utilities.

Why this matters: If built as described, the ARC plant would be a first‑of‑a‑kind commercial fusion demonstration and could have long‑term implications for grid planning, regional workforce development and local supply‑chain demand. The company and regulators still face unresolved rulemaking, permitting and detailed interconnection work before construction of a commercial plant could proceed.

Collin invited authority members and others to engage on workforce and community partnerships and to visit CFS facilities and the SPARC prototype activities in Massachusetts.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Virginia Nuclear Energy Consortium Authority Q1 Meeting- March 25, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Commonwealth Fusion Systems on Tuesday said it has selected a site in Chesterfield County, Virginia, for its first commercial fusion power plant and is preparing to begin site work there.","taxTitle","Virginia Department of Energy, Executive Agencies, Executive, Virginia","taxId",30503,"location","Virginia","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6618416,"Authority members discuss strategic plan, workforce partnerships and SMR commercialization process",499,1869000,2368000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5324605-8f679c9f4fc9eb9889a789effe1df0d0&start=1869&end=2368","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5324605-8f679c9f4fc9eb9889a789effe1df0d0/thumbnail_1869000.jpg","/articles/6618416/Virginia/Authority-members-discuss-strategic-plan-workforce-partnerships-and-SMR-commercialization-process","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6618416-3fd37ac47750b87b5cfc43ee1b3187ed/orig.mp4?Expires=1770453015&Signature=A-JlT2~A3H3LbVd3uAdO6auLhCXWIzG8x2B5rfige3mJSNo64TiSYe5NKgLA5eCYvHk-LWXjr08fYGNB02C0-hhziaM8QyfVzt8fSwiXyDpnkGy3X7VV9hAhjsZTON4krMVdTPdK8q8S0HsZWYYFxscClToIEWcoTikrWnzeSt9jMDMCBKi40DhsqpdPpK6Es~UFqCWnmOt5crEO8iM0q~WvS9ANhsJwRzS8VhDNCZpZ-RGF2iEXq9TzfAe7hyUALRBTg-XgbFsh-h3~IZVbGbdvmcAkSojmdzNSedK9Fz0tNSvP6ex4YlGwvTKg~TBQKVGvuHiM0yYrqZuVVZITnw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Members discussed the authority’s strategic plan draft, workforce development efforts and updates on small modular reactor (SMR) procurement work.

A staff presenter reported work on a strategic plan intended to guide the authority’s priorities over the next four years. Staff said the draft will be circulated to members, who were asked to return comments directly to April (staff contact). The presenter said stakeholder review — including the governor’s office and university and industry partners — would be incorporated and that the authority aims for final approval at the next meeting.

Workforce initiatives drew sustained attention. Staff and board members described an industry‑college working group that includes industry representatives, community colleges, labor unions and economic‑development staff. The working group is exploring apprenticeship and training pipelines, trying to anticipate long‑term workforce demand tied to advanced reactor development and other grid needs. Participants noted the need to engage local trades and to model scenarios that reflect both steady state and accelerated deployment of new reactors.

Jeff Witt gave a 90‑day outlook after taking a leadership role (introduced to the group) and described anchor projects staff are evaluating: research testbeds, materials‑science collaboration among universities, and predictive workforce analyses to inform training capacity. Witt said Virginia has a substantial “nuclear pedigree” in suppliers, utilities and universities and framed his near‑term focus as building credible project pipelines and communications.

Dominion Energy representatives reported ongoing major plant upgrades at its four Virginia reactors and said the company is investing more than $1 billion across upgrades at each reactor over the coming years. Dominion said it is also evaluating responses to a previous SMR request for proposals and expects to select a technology in 2025; it is working with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and industry to define site permit and licensing processes for SMRs.

Procedure note and meeting action: members moved to approve the previous meeting’s minutes. A motion was made and seconded; the record in the meeting audio indicates the motion carried by voice vote but no roll‑call tally was recorded in the transcript.

Why this matters: the authority’s strategic plan will guide program priorities for workforce, innovation and siting; Dominion’s SMR procurement and the utility’s major plant upgrade program will shape regional grid investments and local supply‑chain demand.","Members discussed the authority’s strategic plan draft, workforce development efforts and updates on Dominion Energy’s reactor upgrades and SMR procurement work.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6618421,"Virginia Clean Energy Innovation Bank awards grant for SMR control‑room simulator to support student training",58,250000,308000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5324605-8f679c9f4fc9eb9889a789effe1df0d0&start=250&end=308","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5324605-8f679c9f4fc9eb9889a789effe1df0d0/thumbnail_250000.jpg","/articles/6618421/Virginia/Virginia-Clean-Energy-Innovation-Bank-awards-grant-for-SMR-controlroom-simulator-to-support-student-training","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6618421-fd171315155e7c644d376303849cd917/orig.mp4?Expires=1770453015&Signature=j8aTbjKaIQ0FQJHkfUWgFclNo6jis4LN1E5Snzw2SFLDXLDCEVcFzeQDTmXzFPbR6oHQcpZm8NR9cuPeRUnib5afiEFP7XthPwU4Ss7D-u3NTkrpRfkFLlclQhC5IJfHk3x9zfpEc2H7l9degxMpfXIsUcLI5aQqrGA0VpAOovmHrXYoG-vGqQn~OpfP8T3sDNZsSRYepNf-Jpkin~6ZkVxw0H4a3Dz8xaXTOasE4YNnTsuTfsyveMhAwk0DhMV4Q2e0Et1L8etLgPdpn1GohFUd12JPvoIQ-gT3lZYQZpozX6piC~-Mv6pX8XlxxQloXAMDZhdGPPdm-iq03D0CfQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Agency staff reported that the Virginia Clean Energy Innovation Bank has made a grant to support installation of a small modular reactor (SMR) control‑room simulator intended to train students for advanced reactor operations.

Larry (staff, Virginia Department of Energy update) said the grant — administered through the Clean Energy Innovation Bank housed at the agency — will fund an SMR control‑room simulator being developed by an outside vendor to help students prepare to work at SMR facilities. He said the simulator installation is associated with a facility on George Mason University’s Arlington campus (referred to in the meeting as Mason Square).

Larry invited authority members to participate in an opening ceremony and visit the site; he said the campus building opened in January and staff would circulate event details.

The transcript did not include a clear, verifiable recipient organization name or a precise grant amount in the public record of the meeting. One meeting participant later referenced a $1,000,000 commitment associated with the Clean Energy Innovation Bank at the time of the project’s announcement; the transcript attributes that comment to a meeting participant but does not provide a formal award document in the record.

Why this matters: Control‑room simulators are commonly used in nuclear and advanced reactor training to give students practical, systems‑level experience. If implemented as described, the simulator could provide a local pipeline of trained workers for SMR and advanced reactor projects in Virginia.

Missing details that require follow‑up: the official award document or press release, the simulator developer/vendor name, the exact grant amount and the agreement or memorandum that ties the simulator installation to specific workforce or program requirements.","Agency staff reported that the Virginia Clean Energy Innovation Bank has made a grant to support installation of a small modular reactor control‑room simulator to train students.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Commonwealth Fusion Systems selects Chesterfield County for first commercial fusion power plant

Authority members discuss strategic plan, workforce partnerships and SMR commercialization process

Virginia Clean Energy Innovation Bank awards grant for SMR control‑room simulator to support student training