Overview

Westinghouse owns and operates the Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility located on 1,156 acres off Bluff Road in Hopkins, Lower Richland County, South Carolina. The facility has been in operation since 1969 and manufactures nuclear fuel assemblies used in power plants to generate electricity throughout the United States. The Westinghouse Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility in Hopkins is not a nuclear power plant and does not generate electricity. 

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) and the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) have oversight of operations at the Westinghouse site. DHEC and NRC regulations have been written to protect public health and the environment and promote safe practices at the facility. 

There have been no known off-site impacts from operations or environmental contamination at the Westinghouse site.   

This webpage has been developed by DHEC as a community resource and will be updated as new information about the Westinghouse site is made available. 

Stakeholders 

• Westinghouse - Westinghouse owns and operates the Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility located in Hopkins, South Carolina.   
• Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) - Radiologic operations at Westinghouse are regulated by NRC through an NRC license. NRC’s oversight of these operations includes routine facility inspections. 
• South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) - DHEC issues air and water permits to regulate non-radiologic air emissions and water discharges from the facility.  DHEC also has the authority to require Westinghouse to investigate and cleanup any radiologic or non-radiologic releases to the environment (i.e. groundwater, surface water, soils and sediments) - both within the property boundaries and beyond.  
• Lower Richland County Communities - Residents in the communities of the Hopkins-Lower Richland area are collaboratively working with DHEC, elected officials, and other local organizations to strengthen communication and ensure accountability and transparency of environmental investigations at the Westinghouse site.