Insight Web Extra
October 2009—Nuclear plant visitor centers, which provide valuable information on energy and electricity to a variety of audiences, often double as venues for community activities—hosting everything from symphony concerts and art shows to family nature walks. They even act as polling places.
Duke Energy’s World of Energy visitor center is located at the Oconee nuclear plant in Seneca, S.C., 30 miles west of Greenville. According to Duke communications representative Addie Bradshaw, “We believe in more than just explaining nuclear power to our visitors. We also believe in the power of female professionals.”
With that in mind, and given the double-digit unemployment rates in Oconee and Pickens counties, the center recently hosted a career development and networking event called “A Journey to Success.” The event was geared toward local women looking to advance their careers, as well as those searching for new ones.
Staff worked with several state-run work force development offices to ensure those who could most benefit from the event were aware of it. Attendees gained valuable job-searching knowledge during three hours of panel discussions on a wide range of issues, including networking, technology and interview attire, such as how to dress for success on a budget. At the end of the seminars, attendees practiced their newly acquired networking skills during a social hour and art show.
This is the third year The World of Energy has hosted a businesswomen’s event, and with almost 13,000 square feet of exhibit and meeting space, the event is just one of many professional and public activities the center hosts each year.
Exhibits take visitors through the history of energy in the Piedmont region, beginning with a display of local hydroelectric plants and moving to a replica of a coal mine before ending with detailed exhibits describing how a nuclear plant works.
Forty years ago, Duke Energy opened its energy education center near the construction site of its Oconee nuclear plant in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in South Carolina.
“People from all over came to stand on the hill and watch the plants being built and learn about nuclear power,” remembers Sandra Magee, who manages the center. “We changed our name in 1985 to ‘The World of Energy,’ but our purpose remains the same: helping the local community and visitors understand the mystery of electricity.”
Since then, the center has hosted more than three million visitors from 50 states and several other countries.
To celebrate the center’s 40th birthday last summer, Duke Energy held several special events, including an art and music festival in partnership with the Blue Ridge Arts Council and a party that featured children’s games, music, storytelling and other activities geared toward families. More than 1,000 people from all age groups attended the center’s birthday bash.
Duke Energy has another energy information center at its McGuire nuclear plant north of Charlotte, N.C. The “EnergyExplorium” at McGuire also hosts many community events, including a summer symphony concert series.
Read more about energy information centers at nuclear facilities in the United States and overseas in the upcoming November print edition of Insight.
Photo: The Oconee nuclear plant and its “World of Energy” information center overlook Lake Keowee, a mountain lake created to provide cooling water for the Oconee plant. The lake is a popular spot for boating and fishing for largemouth bass, spotted bass and bream.
—Read more articles in Nuclear Energy Insight and Insight Web Extra.