Westinghouse
An international nuclear-energy technology and services company best known for the AP1000 pressurized-water reactor.
Last updated October 6, 2026
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Overview
Westinghouse Electric Company LLC is a nuclear-energy technology, equipment, fuel, and services company headquartered in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania. The present company began operations in 1999 after British Nuclear Fuels Limited acquired the nuclear business that remained after the original Westinghouse Electric Corporation had divested most of its industrial operations and repositioned itself around media and broadcasting. It therefore shares a name and trademark history with the nineteenth-century company founded by George Westinghouse, but it is a distinct modern nuclear business rather than the original diversified electrical manufacturer. Westinghouse supplies nuclear utilities and reactor operators with reactor designs, nuclear fuel, engineering, instrumentation and control systems, maintenance, inspection, component replacement, plant modernization, and other lifecycle services. Its portfolio covers both new-build projects and the existing global reactor fleet. The company has also expanded through acquisitions in nuclear engineering, manufacturing, inspection, automation, fuel, and plant services, giving it a business mix that extends beyond reactor sales. The company’s best-known offering is the AP1000, a Generation III+ pressurized-water reactor. The design uses passive safety systems that are intended to operate with limited reliance on operator action or active pumps, as well as modular construction methods intended to improve construction efficiency. The AP1000 received final design approval from the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission in 2004. Units have been built or operated in China, the United States, and other markets, although the first U.S. deployments at Vogtle and the abandoned V.C. Summer expansion experienced major schedule delays and cost overruns. Westinghouse’s corporate history includes several changes of ownership. BNFL acquired the business from the former CBS Corporation in 1999, and BNFL combined it with other nuclear assets, including ABB’s nuclear activities. Toshiba acquired Westinghouse in 2006, initially holding a controlling interest alongside The Shaw Group and Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries. Toshiba later increased its ownership. Problems associated with the U.S. AP1000 construction projects, together with accounting and valuation issues within Toshiba, led Westinghouse to seek Chapter 11 protection in 2017. The company emerged after its holding company was acquired by Brookfield Business Partners in 2018. In 2022, Brookfield Renewable Partners and Cameco announced an agreement to acquire Westinghouse from Brookfield Business Partners. The transaction, valued at approximately US$7.9 billion including debt according to the cited reference material, was completed in 2023. Brookfield Renewable and institutional partners became the majority owners, while Cameco acquired a substantial minority interest. Westinghouse remains a major supplier to the global civil nuclear industry, with activities spanning reactor deployment, fuel supply, operating-plant support, digital controls, engineering, and advanced reactor development.
History
George Westinghouse established the Westinghouse Electric Company in 1886, building on his earlier work in railway air brakes and mechanical inventions. The company entered electrical manufacturing at a time when the United States was developing competing systems for electric lighting and power distribution. Westinghouse promoted alternating current as a practical means of transmitting electricity over long distances, while Thomas Edison and associated companies favored direct current. The conflict was commercial as well as technical, and Westinghouse’s acquisition of rights to Nikola Tesla’s polyphase alternating-current patents strengthened its position. Westinghouse equipment played a major role in the 1890s expansion of alternating-current infrastructure. The company supplied generating and transmission equipment for the Niagara Falls power project, an important demonstration that electricity could be generated at scale and transmitted to distant users. Its products subsequently included generators, motors, transformers, switchgear, turbines, railway equipment, and industrial systems. The company changed its corporate form and name over time, becoming Westinghouse Electric Corporation in the early twentieth century. As the electrical industry matured, Westinghouse developed into a broad industrial conglomerate. It manufactured power-generation and transmission equipment, appliances, transportation systems, industrial controls, and electronics. It also entered broadcasting and television, creating a second major business platform alongside industrial technology. Westinghouse’s nuclear-energy activities expanded after the Second World War. The company developed pressurized-water-reactor technology for commercial power generation, and its reactor designs became part of the international nuclear-power market. The company’s diversification continued through much of the twentieth century, but the group later faced pressure from changing industrial conditions, financial obligations, and an increasingly complex portfolio. It sold or spun off a number of traditional manufacturing operations. In 1995, Westinghouse acquired CBS, a major American broadcasting and media company. The transaction was followed by a strategic shift away from heavy industrial manufacturing. In 1997, the corporate parent adopted the CBS name, effectively ending Westinghouse Electric Corporation as the operating identity of the diversified public conglomerate. The Westinghouse nuclear business continued separately. British Nuclear Fuels acquired the nuclear operations and then sold them in 2006 to a consortium led by Toshiba. The successor Westinghouse Electric Company retained the Westinghouse nuclear brand and pursued international reactor projects, including the AP1000 design. Construction problems, schedule delays, and cost escalation at projects in Georgia and South Carolina placed severe financial pressure on the business. In 2017, the Toshiba-owned company sought Chapter 11 protection in the United States. It later emerged under new ownership, but it was a successor enterprise rather than the original Westinghouse Electric Corporation. The Westinghouse name has also continued through licensed consumer products and other successor businesses. These operations should not be treated as a single uninterrupted corporation. The historical brand’s significance rests on its role in alternating-current electrification, large-scale power engineering, nuclear technology, and the evolution of American industrial conglomerates.
- 2017
Westinghouse nuclear successor files for Chapter 11
[6]The Toshiba-owned nuclear company sought bankruptcy protection amid major cost and schedule problems on AP1000 projects.
- 2006
Toshiba-led consortium acquires nuclear business
[2]The Westinghouse nuclear business was sold by British Nuclear Fuels to a Toshiba-led investor group.
- 1997
Westinghouse name replaced by CBS Corporation
[1]The corporate parent adopted the CBS name as media became its dominant strategic business.
- 1995
CBS acquisition completed
[1]Westinghouse completed its purchase of CBS, changing the strategic direction of the group.
- 1957
First commercial pressurized-water reactor enters service
[5]The Shippingport Atomic Power Station, using technology associated with Westinghouse, became an early landmark in commercial nuclear power in the United States.
- 1945
Corporate name becomes Westinghouse Electric Corporation
[1]The business adopted the corporate identity by which it became widely known during the postwar industrial era.
- 1909
Corporate name becomes Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company
[1]The company adopted a name reflecting its expanding manufacturing and electrical-equipment activities.
- 1895
Niagara Falls power project begins operation
[7]Westinghouse supplied important alternating-current generating equipment for the Niagara Falls hydroelectric development.
- 1888
Tesla alternating-current patents enter Westinghouse’s portfolio
[4]Westinghouse obtained rights associated with Nikola Tesla’s polyphase alternating-current inventions, strengthening its position in AC power systems.
- 1886
Westinghouse Electric founded
[1]George Westinghouse founded the electrical company that became the basis of the Westinghouse industrial group.
Products and positioning
Historically positioned as an engineering-led American technology company serving electricity generation, transmission, industrial infrastructure, nuclear power, consumer appliances, and communications. Its brand heritage is strongly associated with alternating-current electrification and large-scale power systems.
Electrical infrastructure · 1886
Alternating-current power systems
Westinghouse manufactured and integrated generators, transformers, motors, switchgear, and related equipment for alternating-current generation and distribution. Its commercial work helped establish AC as the dominant architecture for long-distance electric-power networks.
Power-generation equipment
Hydroelectric and steam power equipment
The company supplied turbines, generators, and associated systems for hydroelectric and thermal power stations. Its equipment supported large utility projects and helped make Westinghouse a major supplier to electric utilities.
Nuclear technology · 1957
Westinghouse pressurized-water reactors
Westinghouse developed pressurized-water-reactor technology for commercial nuclear power. The technology became an important part of the company’s international nuclear business and later formed the basis of the AP1000 reactor platform operated by successor companies.
Consumer appliances
Household appliances
Westinghouse produced household electrical appliances, including major and small appliances, during its period as a diversified American manufacturer. Appliance activities were later separated from the original corporate group and the name continued in some markets through licensing.
Media and communications
Broadcasting and television operations
Westinghouse owned radio and television stations and expanded into network broadcasting. These assets helped lead the company toward its 1995 acquisition of CBS and the subsequent replacement of the Westinghouse corporate identity by CBS.
Transportation systems
Railway and transportation electrical equipment
The company supplied electrical systems and equipment for railways and other transportation applications, extending its engineering expertise beyond stationary power generation.
Controversies
2017
AP1000 project cost overruns and bankruptcy
The Toshiba-owned Westinghouse nuclear successor entered bankruptcy protection after severe cost overruns and delays at AP1000 reactor projects in the United States. The episode contributed to Toshiba’s financial crisis and became a prominent example of execution risk in large nuclear construction projects.
Brand decisions
2017
Seek Chapter 11 protection for the nuclear successorOtherBackground
Construction delays and cost escalation at AP1000 projects placed the Toshiba-owned Westinghouse nuclear business under substantial financial pressure.
Action taken
Westinghouse Electric Company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States.
Aftermath
The filing intensified Toshiba’s financial difficulties and led to further restructuring and a change in ownership of the nuclear business.
2006
Sell the nuclear business to a Toshiba-led groupM&ABackground
The nuclear division had become one of the most distinctive remaining parts of the Westinghouse industrial portfolio after extensive corporate restructuring.
Action taken
British Nuclear Fuels sold Westinghouse to a consortium led by Toshiba.
Aftermath
The nuclear brand and reactor technology continued under a separate Westinghouse Electric Company, no longer under the original American corporate group.
1997
Replace the Westinghouse corporate identity with CBSStrategyBackground
After the CBS acquisition, broadcasting and media had become strategically more important than the group’s historic industrial operations.
Action taken
The parent company changed its name to CBS Corporation.
Aftermath
The original Westinghouse Electric Corporation ceased to operate as the name of the diversified public parent, although the brand remained attached to nuclear, appliance, and other successor businesses.
1995
Acquire CBSM&ABackground
Westinghouse sought to expand its broadcasting interests and reposition the group as traditional industrial manufacturing became less central to its strategy.
Action taken
Westinghouse completed the acquisition of CBS and integrated the media company into the corporate group.
Aftermath
The transaction accelerated the company’s transformation into a media-focused business and preceded the adoption of the CBS corporate name.
Recent events
Reported
Westinghouse signs cooperation MOUs with seven Czech companies[8]
Westinghouse Electric Company signed memorandums of understanding with seven companies in the Czech Republic covering cooperation on the potential deployment of an AP1000 plant for the Dukovany 5 project and other potential AP1000 projects in Central Europe.
Reported
Westinghouse signs contract with Exelon Generation to modernize Limerick plant systems[9]
Westinghouse Electric Company signed an instrumentation and control modernization contract with Exelon Generation for the reactor units at Limerick Generating Station. The planned work includes replacing the analog-based Reactor Protection System and other systems with a Plant Protection System.
Reported
Westinghouse and Dominion sign Surry modernization contract[10]
Westinghouse Electric Company signed an instrumentation and control contract with Dominion Energy for a digital modernization program at Surry Power Station. The program is subject to regulatory approval and is planned to upgrade 23 systems over nine years.
Reported
Westinghouse announces acquisition of ABB's AC160N control platform[11]
Westinghouse Electric Company announced its acquisition of ABB's AC160N control platform.
- Unconfirmed
Reported
NRC approves transition of AC160N ownership[11]
Westinghouse stated that it had received regulatory approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to transition ownership of AC160N via a Safety Evaluation Report.
Reported
Westinghouse and Nordion sign isotope-production collaboration letter of intent[12]
Westinghouse Electric Company and Nordion announced that they had signed a Letter of Intent to develop technology for producing Cobalt-60 in pressurized water reactors, with the stated aim of strengthening future Cobalt-60 supply.
Reported
Westinghouse sponsored the 2019 Global Innovation Summit[13]
Westinghouse sponsored the 2019 Global Innovation Summit, held in Pittsburgh, United States, from October 11 to 13.
Sources14 sources
- 1Westinghouse Electric Corporationen.wikipedia.org
- 2Westinghouse Electric Companyen.wikipedia.org
- 3George Westinghouseen.wikipedia.org
- 4War of the currentsen.wikipedia.org
- 5Shippingport Atomic Power Stationen.wikipedia.org
- 6Toshiba’s Westinghouse files for bankruptcy protectionreuters.com
- 7Niagara Falls power project begins operationen.wikipedia.org
- 8西屋电气与七家捷克公司签署合作谅解备忘录finanznachrichten.de
- 9Westinghouse与Exelon Generation签署合同，升级Limerick电站系统prnewswire.com
- 10Westinghouse 与 Dominion 签署 Surry 现代化合同prnewswire.com
- 11Westinghouse宣布收购ABB的AC160N控制平台prnewswire.com
- 12西屋电气与Nordion签署同位素生产合作意向书prnewswire.com
- 13西屋电气赞助2019全球创新峰会sh.zol.com.cn
- 14Westinghouse Electric Company: Westinghouse Signs Strategic Partnerships in Poland to Build Country's First AP1000 Nuclear Plantfinanznachrichten.de
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