A South Carolina elected official recently paid a visit to the Savannah River National Laboratory.
Gov. Henry McMaster visited and toured the national lab April 18, according to his public calendar.
The national lab is located in A-Area of the Savannah River Site, which is around 20 miles south of Aiken. It provides research and development work for the Office of Environmental Management which is the Department of Energy agency tasked with cleaning up nuclear waste generated during the Cold War.
During his visit and tour, McMaster received an update on the national lab's role in SC Nexus for Advanced Resilient Energy and the role of the state public higher education institutions involved in the Battelle Savannah River Alliance.
SC Nexus is a consortium targeting innovation and efforts geared toward enhancing energy generation, distribution and storage.
The national lab and the state's research universities, technical colleges, economic development nonprofits and private businesses are members of the consortium.
Battelle Savannah River Alliance is the manager and operator of the national lab.
The alliance includes Battelle, an Ohio-based research and development company, and the University of South Carolina, Clemson University and South Carolina State University.
"The Savannah River National Laboratory is a major economic driver not just in the Aiken area but throughout the state," McMaster said. "By making bold investments in the Savannah River National Laboratory through the Battelle Savannah River Alliance and SC Nexus, we help create new high-paying tech jobs for our people that will continue to drive our economy forward."
McMaster has long been a supporter of the national lab.
He recommended providing $120 million to Battelle Savannah River Alliance when the state reached a $600 million settlement with the Department of Energy over plutonium stored at the Savannah River Site.
