PrintPrintAiken County and Savannah River Nuclear Solutions LLC have agreed to add 6,435 square feet of laboratory and support space to the Savannah River Research Campus. The expansion includes six new labs to support research on advanced materials.
Staff Report
Published Aug. 29, 2012
Aiken County and Savannah River Nuclear Solutions LLC have agreed to add 6,435 square feet of laboratory and support space to the Center for Hydrogen Research in the county’s Savannah River Research Campus.
The new laboratory will be built with corporate funds. The Center for Hydrogen Research, adjacent to the Savannah River Site, will be renamed the Applied Research Center to reflect the diverse research and development under way in the 60,000-square-foot facility, according to a press release.
The Center for Hydrogen Research, which opened in 2006, hosts the Savannah River National Laboratory’s Hydrogen Technology Research Laboratory — a 24,400-square-foot lab complex primarily used for unclassified research into new applications for hydrogen technology, USC-Aiken research and small technology companies.
The expansion will be privately funded with $3 million authorized by the board of directors of Savannah River Nuclear Solutions. When construction is complete, the Savannah River National Laboratory will lease the space. The Department of Energy has authorized an initial 10-year lease.
The expansion will add six new labs with flexible configurations to support the national laboratory’s research on advanced materials. The research will support areas such as nuclear energy, energy storage materials and systems, solar energy materials, materials for wind and marine energy systems, and carbon dioxide capture.
“This development further strengthens the good working relationship between SRNS, the national laboratory and Aiken County,” said Dwayne Wilson, president and CEO of Savannah River Nuclear Solutions. “All along, the intent of our company and our parent company organizations has been to strategically invest corporate dollars in ways that would enhance the national laboratory’s competitive position.”
Terry Michalske, executive vice president of Savannah River Nuclear Solutions and director of the national laboratory, said the investment would yield multiple benefits to the national laboratory.
“In addition to providing us with new, contemporary research labs, the addition of more off-site laboratory space makes it that much easier for us to partner with universities and private companies,” Michalske said. “As we continue to grow our business in the clean energy arena, it’s clear that there are tremendous opportunities to build research partnerships that will be good for the region.”
Savannah River Nuclear Solutions is a Fluor partnership comprising Fluor, Newport News Nuclear and Honeywell, responsible for the management and operation of the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site, including the Savannah River National Laboratory.
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