Westinghouse and University of South Carolina Partner to Advance Nuclear Workforce Development

COLUMBIA, S.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 29, 2026--

Westinghouse Electric Company and the University of South Carolina (USC) are partnering to create a multidisciplinary nuclear workforce development program to support U.S. fleet deployment of AP1000 ® plants. The new program will be centered at the USC Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing’s planned Nuclear Innovation Center.

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Associate Deputy Secretary of Energy and Senior Advisor to the Secretary at the U.S. Department of Energy Alex Fitzsimmons, USC President Michael Amiridis, Westinghouse President of New Plant Delivery Luca Oriani, Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing Dean Hossein Haj-Hariri and former Chairman and CEO of Johnson Controls Alex Molinaroli attended a memorandum of understanding signing for the agreement today at the Third Annual South Carolina Nuclear Summit in Columbia.

“President Trump’s historic executive orders have laid the foundation for a new era of American nuclear energy, and we must build the workforce capable of turning that vision into reality,” said U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy James P. Danly. “This is why investments in workforce development like the partnership between Westinghouse and the University of South Carolina are so important. These collaborations will build the talent base needed to support new nuclear construction, strengthen our domestic supply chain and ensure that American families have high-paying jobs for generations to come.”

“We look forward to collaborating with Westinghouse to develop workforce education opportunities for our students as we plan for our proposed Nuclear Innovation Center at the University of South Carolina,” said USC President Michael Amiridis. “This partnership between higher education and industry promises to strengthen South Carolina’s leading role in the future of nuclear energy for our state and nation.”

“While South Carolina is already a strong nuclear state, this strategic partnership between USC and Westinghouse will position the state as a national leader,” said Luca Oriani, President of Westinghouse New Plant Delivery. “This collaboration will support high-paying jobs and economic growth across South Carolina while strengthening and further developing the workforce needed to deliver the next generation of nuclear power plants and meet the rising demand for electricity.”

“South Carolina has an extraordinary opportunity not only to build nuclear plants, but to build the workforce, intellectual property, supply chain and innovation ecosystem that will support America’s next generation of nuclear deployment,” said Ethel Bunch, President and CEO of the Palmetto Nuclear Coalition. “This partnership between Westinghouse and the University of South Carolina is exactly the kind of collaboration we need to turn that opportunity into action — connecting industry, higher education and workforce development to create capabilities here in South Carolina that can serve a national fleet of new nuclear plants.”

“By combining our strengths in education and research with Westinghouse’s industry expertise, and by collaborating with educational, industry and government partners statewide, we can expand hands-on learning and workforce development opportunities to prepare students and professionals for nuclear sector careers,” said Hossein Haj-Hariri, Dean of the Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing. “Together, we are building an ecosystem that supports the growth of talent, innovation and next-generation nuclear technologies in South Carolina.”

The partnership will explore opportunities to create a first-of-its-kind nuclear training center to develop and prepare all workforce disciplines for a large-scale national deployment of new nuclear power plants. Potential training capabilities being discussed include:

The Nuclear Innovation Center is a major new initiative for USC aimed at positioning South Carolina as a national leader in nuclear energy research, innovation, partnership and workforce development. The center will create a model for developing the skilled talent and technology infrastructure required by the nuclear energy industry and strengthen South Carolina’s ability to compete for nuclear and technology-driven economic development.

Westinghouse has maintained a significant presence in South Carolina for more than five decades. The company employs more than 2,200 people across the state, including at its Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility, one of the largest nuclear fuel manufacturing facilities of its kind. In addition to fuel fabrication, Westinghouse supports new plant deployment, engineering, information technology, and outage and maintenance services from locations across South Carolina, contributing to the state's leadership in nuclear energy and advanced manufacturing.

About the University of South Carolina

The University of South Carolina is a globally recognized, high-impact research university committed to a superior student experience and dedicated to innovation in learning, research and community engagement. Founded in 1801, the university is a top-tier Carnegie Foundation research institution offering more than 350 academic degree programs, including distinguished programs in engineering, law, medicine, nursing, public health and the arts. More than 50,000 students are enrolled at one of 20 locations throughout the state, including the research campus in Columbia. With the nation’s top first-year experience, best public honors college and 60 nationally ranked academic programs — including top-ranked programs in international business — the university is helping to build healthier, more educated communities in South Carolina and around the world.

About Westinghouse

Westinghouse delivers nuclear energy the world needs to meet rising electricity demand, support growing economies, strengthen energy security and power millions of homes across five continents. The company designs and deploys advanced nuclear reactors, manufactures the fuel that powers them, maintains and modernizes operating plants and advances tomorrow’s breakthroughs. Founded in 1886, the company electrified the industrial economy and pioneered nuclear power with the first commercial pressurized water reactor in 1957. Today, Westinghouse technology powers 57% of the world's nuclear power plants, maintains nearly two-thirds of the world's nuclear fleet and fuels 40% of that fleet. As the global leader in deployment of nuclear power at scale, Westinghouse has one of the largest new build pipelines in the industry.

From nuclear’s first chapter to its next, Westinghouse turns possibility into power.

From left: Associate Deputy Secretary of Energy Alex Fitzsimmons, Westinghouse President of New Plant Delivery Luca Oriani, USC President Michael Amiridis and U.S. Representative Russell Fry at the memorandum of understanding signing between Westinghouse and USC at the Third Annual South Carolina Nuclear Summit in Columbia.

MADRID (AP) — Spain’s government on Tuesday presented measures to address the country's housing crisis that has drawn tens of thousands of people to the streets in recent days after the eviction of an 87-year-old woman last week. It remains to be seen if they go far enough to appease protesters.

The coalition led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s Socialists announced the measures after four days of intense protests centered around an encampment in Puerta del Sol, Madrid's most iconic plaza. They were sparked by the eviction of María del Carmen Abascal, who was carried out on a stretcher from the apartment where she had lived for seven decades and has become widely known as simply “Maricarmen.”

The protests have yielded results for Abascal, whose lawyer Beatriz Duro said she had accepted a deal with the company that owns her apartment in the upscale Retiro neighborhood to return home. Abascal, who has been in a hospital since she was removed from her apartment, will return as soon as she is discharged, Duro said. The agreement limits her rent to 30% of her income, meaning she would not pay more than the 500 euros ($570) per month she paid previously.

The government's main decree extends protection against evictions for vulnerable Spaniards until 2030, regulates room rentals, imposes a new tax on seasonal rentals and bans “speculative real estate purchases by vulture funds” until 2028, Housing Minister Isabel Rodríguez told reporters at the presidential palace. It remains unclear how such funds are classified or how large the tax will be, as the decree's full text has yet to be released.

It also offers tax breaks to landlords who rent to low-income tenants, offers interest-free loans to families buying their first home, and protects public housing and promotes its construction, Rodríguez added.

“This has been thanks to the citizen movement. To Maricarmen. To the thousands of people in the streets,” Spain's Labor Minister Yolanda Díaz wrote on social media.

Rising costs and a housing shortage are pricing many Spaniards out of the housing market, despite strong economic growth in Europe’s fourth-largest economy. The protesters have been demanding stronger protections for tenants, measures to combat fraud and a ban on evictions when alternative housing is unavailable.

Parliament has 30 days to ratify the measures, and the government wants to expedite the process and has called an extraordinary plenary session on housing for Friday. The government's coalition holds 152 of the chamber’s 350 seats, so it needs the support of smaller parties across the political spectrum to pass bills. Lack of parliamentary support in late July prevented the approval of similar measures.

The Madrid Tenants’ Union, the organizer of the protest, said it would remain cautious until it could review “the fine print” of the decree.

“The streets, this encampment and all the others currently across the country are engaging in a historic standoff with the government to push it to advance the right to housing through measures that had not been considered. And this continues,” said Alicia del Río, the union’s spokesperson.

The activists, planning more protests for the weekend, will decide later today whether to dismantle the encampment. The regional government, led by the conservative People’s Party, has asked the government delegate to clear the iconic square within 48 hours before taking the matter to court. The protesters have remained peaceful.

Smaller encampments have sprung up in other cities, from Seville and Málaga in the south to Santiago de Compostela in the north and Palma de Mallorca in the tourist-friendly Balearic Islands, drawing international attention to a long-running issue.

Asked about the situation on Monday, Pope Leo XIV said it underscored the need for political leaders to find solutions to the housing crisis affecting many communities.

“Maybe we have to insist that political leaders, authorities find a solution to this, because it’s obviously increasing and oftentimes we only react in the moment of an emergency,” he said, after admitting that he was not familiar with the case. “But we have to try to see what the systemic cause of the problem is and how to help.”

Spain has had a housing law in place since 2023 that regulates rents and protects tenants, as well as allowing rent caps in high-demand areas at the request of local governments.

Spanish media reported that Abascal’s father first rented the property in 1956 and she continued as the tenant after her parents died, during which time there was a rent cap. The building changed ownership in 2018, and Abascal was offered the opportunity to buy the apartment but could not afford it, according to the Madrid Tenants’ Union, which organized Saturday’s protest.

Urbagestión, an investment fund that later bought the unit, raised her monthly rent from 500 euros to 2,650 euros. It subsequently lowered the rent to 1,650 euros, which Abascal still could not afford on her pension, the union said.

The company didn't respond to emailed and phone requests for comment from The Associated Press.

Associated Press journalists Nicole Winfield in Rome and Joseph Wilson in Barcelona contributed.

Protesters camp during a protest at Sol Square following the eviction last Wednesday of 87-year-old Maricarmen as they demand stronger laws to protect renters in Madrid, Spain, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Tourists take pictures of protesters camping during a protest at Sol Square following the eviction last Wednesday of 87-year-old Maricarmen as they demand stronger laws to protect renters in Madrid, Spain, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Demonstrators camp during a protest at Sol Square following the eviction last Wednesday of 87-year-old Maricarmen as they demand stronger laws to protect renters in Madrid, Spain, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Tourists gather in front of protesters camping during a protest at Sol Square following the eviction last Wednesday of 87-year-old Maricarmen as they demand stronger laws to protect renters in Madrid, Spain, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Demonstrators camp during a protest at Sol Square following the eviction last Wednesday of 87-year-old Maricarmen as they demand stronger laws to protect renters in Madrid, Spain, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)