EWI Establishes Ohio Advanced Energy Manufacturing Center And A Nuclear Fabrication Consortia

Through its broad membership base, EWI has born witness to a broad range of new materials, joining, and inspection challenges as a result of the impinging energy changes. These challenges range from materials selection for CO₂ sequestration to nuclear containment vessel design considerations. As “alternative energy” infiltrates more conversations, it is becoming evident that while a substantial amount of money and effort is being placed on the energy side of the equation, very little respectively is being focused on the fabrication technologies required to support the alternative energy emergence.

To address this alternative energy emergence, EWI is establishing the Ohio Advanced Energy Manufacturing Center and a Nuclear Fabrication Consortia. The two initiatives will be separate, yet rely on similar resources for execution and investment. The overlapping directives of both is the evaluation and development of strategic technologies enabling the reduction of initial construction cost and improved quality assurance for lower life-cycle costs.

The Ohio Advanced Energy Center is a new approach to technology innovation and technology-based economic development that assists advanced energy companies to plan, evaluate and manage successful and timely transition from prototype to production and take products successfully to market. The Center will be funded through combined investment from:

• Private industry, including EWI’s industrial membership and other leading manufacturers in a variety of industries. This includes collaborative manufacturing technology development projects and individual sponsored projects targeted to specific product developments.
• The State of Ohio Third Frontier Program, Edison Program, and other funding mechanisms being established to support advanced energy investment.
• Workforce development and education funding for worker readiness and retraining efforts.
• Federal funding (DOE, DOD, USDA and DOT) through a combination of competitive initiatives, strategic partnerships and congressionally-directed funding.

The Nuclear Fabrication Consortia is intended to be a consortia of organizations spanning the entire technology spectrum of nuclear fabrication (from fundamental research to field fabrication). The objective of the consortia is to create an environment where industry can leverage the experience of others in a non-competitive arena. This consortia is expected to create a range of activities encompassing the creation of a venue for presenting technologies for nuclear fabrication, creation of education and training programs (like sponsored Masters or PhD research or welder training to supplement a dwindling workforce), formation of group sponsored projects where members can leverage their research and development dollars with other members and potential government programs.

For more information about the Nuclear Fabrication Consortia or the Ohio Advanced Energy Manufacturing Center, contact Nate Ames at 614.688.5135 or nate_ames@ewi.org.