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

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.