Lynchburg, VA - One of Lynchburg's largest employers has announced it is eliminating 150 jobs from a plant in the Hill city. 

The AREVA facility at Mount Athos plans to consolidate its nuclear fuel fabrication operations. They'll be moving it all to a plant in Richland, Washington.

These changes are set to begin in about six months. AREVA officials say the transition will begin next spring, so those affected will have time to make plans.

Areva, a French company, has had financial difficulties lately as have many other companies throughout the world. This particular plant produces fuel assemblies, which makes the parts used in nuclear facilities throughout the world. They are relocating to "increase efficiency and save operating cost."

This story basically reads that 300 jobs are moving out of Lynchburg as about 150 out of 300 jobs at the Lynchburg location are promised other positions within the company, whicle the other 150 employees could be relocated.

Richland, Washington - where the Lynchburg plant is relocating - is focused on nuclear energy since WWII, according to Wikipedia. "It has been the home of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory(PNNL) since 1965. One of the two Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory sites is located immediately north of Richland. Numerous smaller high technology business and expert consultants have grown up around the Richland technology center as well.

"Major employers include Battelle Memorial Institute operating PNNL, Bechtel National Inc. building a waste vitrification plant, Washington River Protection Solutions controlling operations of the nuclear waste tank farms, Washington Closure providing waste management and cleanup efforts including decontamination and demolition (D&D) of facilities along the Columbia River, CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Company responsible for D&D of facilities on the site's Central Plateau, Duratek Federal Services, Inc. providing services to the U.S. government, Energy Northwest generating nuclear power at a nearby reactor facility, Areva creating nuclear fuel, Lockheed Martin Services, Inc. providing technology services and the U.S. Department of Energy which operates the Hanford Site."

Today, Hanford is the most contaminated nuclear site in the United States and is the focus of the nation's largest environmental cleanup.