The University of South Carolina is getting nearly $5 million in federal funds to study possible ways to curb climate change.

Celgard, a developer of materials for use in lithium-ion batteries, is one of the big winners among firms selected to receive $2.4 billion in grants from the U.S. Department of Energy. Celgard, which operates a manufacturing facility in Charlotte, will receive $49 million to be used for expansion of its batter separator product. The company also will open a plant in Aiken, S.C.

Savannah River Remediation (SRR), formerly Washington Savannah River Company (WSRC), employees have processed over one million gallons of hazardous waste in the last six months, mostly from the Site’s underground waste storage tanks, at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Savannah River Site (SRS) Saltstone facility.

Remember that big Savannah River Site job fair in Columbia? Now there’s one coming to a town near you. There are hundreds of new jobs added because of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The first job fair is June 17th in Barnwell at the Primary School, from 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m., in the afternoon. The second is June 24th at USC-Salkehatchie in Allendale, SC…also from 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.  Both events will be preceded with a town hall meeting at noon.

A new report faults the Savannah River Site for several safety issues. The Department of Energy did an audit of the site, last month, and found construction mistakes, and a potential 15,000 gallon radiation leak. What do residents who live in the area think about that? WJBF News Channel 6’s Joy Howe finds out.

An audit of a nuclear weapons complex in South Carolina says the Savannah River Site did not meet several safety standards when constructing a new facility. The 31-page Department of Energy report released last month also found that one of the mistakes at the site near the South Carolina-Georgia border could have resulted in a spill of high-level radioactive waste.

The University of South Carolina has received the largest research award in school history, a $12.5 million federal grant to set up a research center on alternative fuels.

Job cuts could be coming to the Savannah River Site.