Bre Doherty doesn’t work at a nuclear plant, but she’s still a vital part of Pennsylvania’s nuclear industry.
Doherty is an engineer in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania—just outside of Pittsburgh—with Framatome, one of many companies that manufacture, test and service nuclear power plant components. Framatome is what we in the business call a nuclear supplier.
“It enabled me to stay in Pittsburgh,” she says. “I love this city and I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else.”
Doherty is largely responsible for writing test plans for electromechanical components at nuclear plants, such as relays, circuit breakers and starters. Even though she is not a plant employee, Doherty understands that her work is equally critical to the safe operation of those facilities Framatome serves.
“We work a lot with the components in the auxiliary building and the redundant safety systems [at nuclear plants],” says Doherty. “We are ensuring these components are operating exactly as they are supposed to.”
The nuclear industry—through utilities and suppliers—contributes nearly $2 billion to Pennsylvania’s gross domestic product, approximately 16,000 direct and indirect full-time jobs, and more than $400 million in annual state and federal taxes.
Nuclear suppliers also provide additional benefits to the region through their employees who invest time, talent and dollars back into the local community.
Working for Framatome’s Cranberry Township office allows Doherty to continue to live in Pittsburgh and pursue her Master’s Degree in Nuclear Engineering at Pitt where she is captain of the Women’s club hockey team.
On top of these benefits, nuclear energy provides more than 42 percent of the state’s electricity and 93 percent of its clean energy. However, because of flawed electricity markets, several plants in the state are in danger of shutting down. Still, Doherty remains hopeful that that the trend will reverse because nuclear energy is far too important a resource to lose.
“I do think that nuclear needs to continue to be a prominent source of energy in this country if we are going to dial back the effects of climate change.”
Top photo credit: mandritoiu / Shutterstock.com
