Framatome for the Future

A Look at the Nuclear Services Firm’s Exciting New Era

By: Jeremy Angione | Photos courtesy: Framatome

Framatome’s Lynchburg facility expansions are poised to create an improved foundation from which all of its North American branches will benefit.

In addition to its French origin in 1958, Framatome was able to take root in Lynchburg due to groundwork laid by energy technology company Babcock & Wilcox.

“Those two nuclear legacies would eventually come together, establishing Lynchburg as Framatome’s North American headquarters. Today, our Lynchburg teams support the existing nuclear fleet, including plant life extension, power uprates, and restarts, while advancing technologies for small modular and advanced reactors,” Framatome President and CEO Tony Robinson said.

Framatome’s footprint in the nuclear space is broad and multifaceted, offering technical solutions and innovations industry wide.

 

“We provide fuel, engineering, components, inspections, upgrades, testing and startup support for operating plants while supporting the engineering, fuel and technology needs of a number of advanced reactor and small modular reactor developers,” Robinson said.

Currently, Framatome boasts 10 North American locations. Robinson noted that its Lynchburg branch in particular provides important assets to the company’s continued operation and development.

“Lynchburg has remained an important location for Framatome because of its highly skilled technical workforce, generations of nuclear experience, established infrastructure and strong educational and community partnerships. This combination has supported the growth of several Framatome facilities across the region,” Robinson said.

In 2025, Framatome completed the first phase of a facility expansion at its Mill Ridge Road location. The $50 million investment stretches beyond just new facilities; it also includes the hiring of more than 500 employees between 2023 and 2027. The ribbon for the Mill Ridge expansion was cut last July, and the expansion is also complemented by the modernization of Framatome’s Mount Athos Road facility.

The exciting updates don’t end there—the company also recently put its corporate headquarters building on Old Forest Road up for sale. Although an asking price hasn’t been listed and no immediate changes to operations have occurred at this time, plans for the future campus are progressing.

Former Governor Glenn Youngkin, who attended the ribbon cutting, said: “Framatome’s investment in Lynchburg is a powerful endorsement of the Commonwealth’s pro-business climate, world-class workforce, and leadership in advanced energy technologies. This new facility will help ensure that Virginia remains at the forefront of the nuclear industry for decades to come.”

Robinson asserted that training and technical development underpin Framatome’s growth efforts as it strives to stay current with and innovate on the evolving nuclear energy industry.

“That investment expands our engineering and office capacity, technical training, manufacturing and warehouse capabilities, equipment storage and existing facilities,” he said. “Framatome is growing in Lynchburg, and at our sites across North America, because nuclear energy is growing.”

Aside from new, modernized office spaces and more diverse storage facilities, the expansion includes a nuclear training center.

“Growth by itself is not the objective. Building the people, skills and infrastructure to deliver safely and consistently is what will make these investments meaningful over time,” Robinson stated.

Aside from in-house training for active employees, Framatome offers a proactive and holistic approach to training and education with the Nuclear Technology Academy. Jointly operated with Central Virginia Community College, the program offers students the ability to earn an associate’s degree in nuclear technology while essentially working on site as a Framatome employee.

“We have employees with decades of nuclear experience and a new generation entering the industry.

We need to transfer that knowledge while giving newer employees the technical training and hands-on experience they need to develop real depth and expertise,” Robinson said.

Robinson cited safety and quality as a couple of Framatome’s top values. He went on to say that, despite the greater emphasis on hiring, Framatome does not want to “simply fill positions, but rather develop their growing workforce to meet the increasing demands of the nuclear industry.”

“Nuclear is one of the most highly regulated industries in the country, as it should be. Safety and quality remain at the core of everything we do, regardless of how quickly the market grows,” he added.

He continued by saying that the nuclear industry is currently seeing the most significant growth it has seen for decades.

While the expansions and hiring stand to support Framatome’s North American development, Robinson suggested that growth is a challenge in and of itself. On top of maintaining its existing nuclear fleet, Framatome is investing in new reactor technologies.

“I see that opportunity on three fronts: getting more safe, reliable generation from the existing fleet to power our homes and businesses, returning prematurely closed plants to service, and developing the next generation of reactors. We must do all that without compromising the standards that define our industry,” he said.
Because Lynchburg serves as Framatome’s North American headquarters, Robinson claims that the continued efforts for and expansions to the firm’s Lynchburg facilities directly affect its other branches.

One such location is Richland, Washington.

The Richland site’s chief function is to produce nuclear fuel including uranium dioxide powder, pellets, and fuel rods.

According to Framatome, five percent of all electricity produced in the United States can be attributed to the Richland site’s manufacturing.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) recently granted Framatome’s Richland facility a major licensing approval that would allow the site to manufacture fuel with uranium enriched up to 10 percent.

Like Lynchburg, Framatome’s Washington branch has also received a sizable investment, boasting a $200 million injection of expansion funds and the hiring of more than 200 new employees.

“Those investments all support the same objective: building the people, infrastructure and technical capabilities we need as our business and the nuclear market continue to grow. Longer term, the real value is in the capabilities we are building,” Robinson said.

Robinson emphasized that the Framatome facilities, training, and innovations in Lynchburg help to define the rest of the company and the nuclear industry as a whole.

“The work performed by our Lynchburg teams supports customers and projects throughout North America. Lynchburg should be proud of the role it has played in nuclear energy and excited about the role it can play in its future,” he said.