The funding will help schools like the University of Toledo and University of Michigan invest in modernizing nuclear programs and building the future workforce.
OAK HARBOR, Ohio —
The Department of Energy is making a $50 million dollar investment in nuclear energy education in the Great Lakes region.
The money will help fund partnerships between multiple universities and develop new programs to expand.
“I just think the energy field is going to be a very exciting field for young people to work in going forward and we have to let them know it exists,” said Representative Marcy Kaptur.
Industry experts said they’re expecting to see a growing demand for nuclear energy in coming years.
“We need that baseload capacity back,” said Gary Leidich, the chair of the Great Lakes Partnership to Enhance the Nuclear Workforce Advisory Board. “A lot of that load growth comes from data centers. Electrical vehicles, I’m not so sure about anymore, but the data center load growth is spectacular across the whole country.”
Industry experts say it’s necessary to have a workforce that’s trained to keep up with any growth. This money will go toward modernizing nuclear related programs at the University of Toledo. The school got a $19.2 million dollar award, which is the largest single award from the federal government in UToledo history.
“We will be hiring new faculty. We will be offering new certificates and developing new courses,” said the University of Toledo’s Frank Calzonetti.
The money will help with partnership for students at sites, like the Davis-Besse nuclear plant, giving students co-op and internship opportunities.
This spans farther than northwest Ohio, with the University of Michigan is involved too.
“We’re going to expand our digital simulation labs that allow people to practice running reactors and learning the consequences,” said Todd Allen, with the University of Michigan. “Artificial intelligence, which is going to be part of modern industry. How do we bring that into use in nuclear?”
Kaptur said the Great Lakes region currently produces one-third of the United States’ nuclear power, and now is the time to invest and see it grow.
“There couldn’t be a more important industry with skilled workers than this one that connects to every household, every business, every classroom, every health facility,” said Kaptur.