Goose Creek Nuclear School Expanding

The Navy is planning major upgrades at its nuclear power training school at Joint Base Charleston in Goose Creek, including new facilities, equipment and security, as well as a growing student body.

First reported by The Post and Courier, the details of the program are presented in a recently released environmental permitting plan.

The school currently trains 1,200 students a year, instructing them on operating Naval nuclear propulsion plants, including hands-on training.

The Navy recognized that the facility is already overcrowded and is expected to see an influx of students over the next decade. The Goose Creek site trains about half of the Navy's nuclear propulsion students.

In the next five years, the site is expected to train 1,500, with that number temporarily climbing to 2,800 by 2020 while the Navy's other facility in New York undergoes maintenance. The Navy expects the Goose Creek site to accommodate 1,800 students annually after 2022.

To meet these needs, the Navy is planning to build two new training facilities, expand existing piers to support newer equipment, increase parking, upgrade utilities and improve security at the site.

For more, including a link to the environmental report, visit the Post and Courier article.