A start-up company with a novel idea to create and mass produce deployable nuclear energy units held a grand opening April 8 at its new headquarters in Palm Beach Gardens.
“Now, we’re building a new class of energy system,” Ampera founder and CEO Brian Matthews said at his company’s warehouse and offices in the Gardens Innovation Center at PGA National Commerce Park before about 150 community leaders, elected officials and employees.
Ampera, an “advanced nuclear reactor company,” is developing nuclear energy units that could generate quite a bit of electrical power (30 megawatts) in a box the size of a shipping container. These factory-built microreactors could be sent anywhere and power such things as AI data fields, military equipment and cargo and cruise ships, among other things.
According to Ampera, what separates its energy units from other nuclear reactors, besides its size, is that it uses thorium instead of uranium. Thorium is a more abundant resource, produces less waste, has a shorter waste hazard window and provides more safety benefits, the company says.
Also, Ampera says its units don’t need to be refueled and can be ramped up or turned off faster than traditional nuclear reactors.
Mass production is also a key, according to Matthews, whose company is seeking a separate full-scale manufacturing space at another location, preferably in Palm Beach County, officials said.
The Palm Beach Gardens site where the grand opening was held will eventually total nearly 100,000 square feet of space from two buildings that will be used for research and development, back-office operations and a customer showroom.
“To put it into context, around the world today, there’s 430, roughly, nuclear power plants,” Matthews said. “Our strategy is to produce in our new factory, which is coming, 300 units. Every single year.”
“The mission is to bring clean energy to our nations into the world. It’s literally creating a butterfly effect to what’s to come, which is clean energy for all.”
Ampera also uses “a tremendous amount of 3D printing” in their technology, said Matthews.
Ampera has said it hopes to hire 2,500 employees within five years, is already hiring, and accepting applications from people in Palm Beach County and outside the area.
The company is currently seeking licensing from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for its reactors, aswell as a strategic collaboration with Scorpio Tankers, a shipping company that transports refined petroleum products around the world.
Palm Beach Gardens Mayor Marcie Tinsley said: “Ours is a city that values innovation, technology, entrepreneurship, and thoughtful work. And your decision to locate here speaks volumes about the strength and appeal of our community. A grand opening like this represents far more than just a new location. It represents opportunity. It means new jobs, new investments, a new momentum for our local economy, and also reflects a shared belief in the future of Palm Beach Gardens as a place where businesses can thrive and succeed.”
“We refer to ourselves as Florida’s prosperity coast,” said Noel Martinez, CEO and president of the Palm Beach North Chamber of Commerce. “That’s not just a tagline. It really reflects what is happening here right now. This is a region that continues to grow, attract investment and create opportunity.
Martinez said northern Palm Beach County is seeing a real shift, “more interest from companies in technology, life sciences, and now clean energy.”
Kelly Smallridge, the president and CEO of the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County, spoke about her group’s “Wall Street South initiative,” a plan started in 2011 to entice financial service firms to Palm Beach County. But, she said, about two years ago they decided to pivot and go hard after tech and innovation.
“And what makes today extra exciting is Ampera is leading that charge,” she said, referring to Ampera’s clean and alternative source of energy for AI, data centers and advanced manufacturing. “And that is exactly where we are pivoting to. So their decision reinforces the new direction of this organization.”
“The mission is to bring clean energy to our nation and into the world,” Matthews said. “It’s literally creating a butterfly effect to what’s to come, which is clean energy for all.”
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: A start-up to create nuclear energy units opens in Palm Beach Gardens
Reporting by John Bisognano, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
