By Bryan Gentry
Lynchburg is out of the running for the nuclear fuel plant Areva plans to build in the United States.
Laurence Pernot, spokeswoman for Areva NC, said Monday that the company is no longer considering any sites in Virginia for the $2 billion uranium enrichment facility it plans to build.
She said the company is only considering sites in Idaho, Texas, Ohio, Washington and New Mexico now.
She said Virginia is a good location, but the other sites are better technically.
“The selection process is very, very rigorous. We consider geological, environmental and social criteria,” she said. “It’s a very complicated and sophisticated selection process.”
Last summer, another Areva NC official said the Lynchburg area was being considered.
Recently the company zipped its lips regarding its areas of interest. Until Monday, Pernot would not comment on whether Lynchburg was still a possibility.
In recent weeks, however, the energy company turned up the heat in several state legislatures. Areva hired lobbyists in Idaho and New Mexico, Pernot said, to try securing tax incentives.
That bore fruit in the Idaho House of Representatives, which this week is considering two bills that would offer the company sales and property tax exemptions worth millions of dollars.
Though things seem to be progressing more in Idaho, Pernot said Areva has not made a decision. “It could be another state,” she said.
The site selection should be finalized in March or April, she said.
Lee Cobb, executive director of the Region 2000 Economic Development Partnership, said last week that not getting the facility wouldn’t hurt the area.
Upon learning about Idaho’s efforts to lure the company, he said that if the new facility goes elsewhere, “we’re going to have our hands full just keeping up with all the things going on.”
He said many companies in the region are hoping to add more employees, if they can hire the right people.
“We have so many other opportunities that we can pursue,” he said.
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