Xelevate Uses Site for Drone Training, Innovation

For half a century, the Bellefonte Nuclear Plant in Hollywood has been a source of local curiosity and speculation. After 14 years of construction, the Tennessee Valley Authority halted the project in 1988, citing rising costs. But the sprawling riverfront facility and its 2 tall towers remain a prominent part of the landscape.

Since February, though, the sky above Bellefonte is often buzzing with activity by a new resident, a drone technology company called Xelevate, which also has sites near Washington, D.C., and in eastern North Carolina.

“The unique features of Bellefonte provide a location that can truly push forward innovation in a relevant, real-world application,” says Marcy Eisenberg, Xelevate’s owner and president. She says the site “is very attractive for government, homeland security, and defense-based industry to access,” in large part due to its proximity to Huntsville.

Xelevate is using a portion of the 1,600-acre property for training, testing, and demonstrations of unmanned aircraft systems, or UAS. “While we are still refining the specific use cases,” as the Federal Aviation Administration addresses new UAS rule proposals, Xelevate’s focus is on cutting-edge technology that can protect critical infrastructure, Eisenberg says.

The company’s website stresses that the site provides a safe location for UAS training, including live-sky conventional threat training and air, land, sea, and cyber operations. In addition to the main “range” at Bellefonte, the company offers its services at multiple sites across North Alabama, including an operations center at nearby Scottsboro Municipal Airport.

Xelevate’s presence does not affect ongoing planning for the future use of the Bellefonte site, says Clarissa McClain, TVA’s senior strategic communicator for Alabama. “Our current goal is to preserve the Bellefonte property for potential future development,” she says. “TVA has established an advisory team, along with local stakeholders, to review potential opportunities for the property.”

McClain says TVA regularly uses Bellefonte for meetings, tours, and training exercises for TVA employees as well as outside organizations, all easily accommodated by the property’s 50,000-square-foot office complex.

Getting Students on Board

Bellefonte’s resources and closeness to Rocket City were only 2 of the factors that drew Xelevate to Hollywood. “Additionally, the educational resources in the region — including both the Kevin Dukes Career and Innovation Academy and North Alabama Community College — provide natural synergy,” Eisenberg says. “This is because Xelevate always builds relevant regional projects from an economic development perspective, and workforce and skill development is a key part.”

When Xelevate began operations at Bellefonte back in February, NACC President David Campbell shared that the college’s then-dean of workforce development, Kerry Wright, had submitted a grant application to the FAA to fund the resources needed for a drone instructional program through KDCIA.

“The goal is for these students who want the training at the academy to become certified in operating and flying drones,” Campbell says. “This would include funding for purchasing drones. We don’t know for sure if it will be funded, but we do know that the Xelevate presence in the county presents us with more opportunities to pursue drone operation training and use. The knowledge of drone use can be such an asset. We want to help with that.”

Campbell stresses the increasing importance of drones in everyday life and as a tool for industries. “They, for example, are used in building construction to assess progress both indoors and outdoors on large projects and in health care and emergency situations,” he says. “They are experimenting with sending drones out first on emergency calls to provide information even before first responders get to the scene of an accident or event.”

Besides local education contacts, Xelevate has been working with the Jackson County Economic Development Authority. The group’s president/CEO, Nathan Lee, says of Xelevate’s presence in the county: “They are meeting a need for advanced training and infrastructure as it pertains to unmanned aerial vehicles. This opportunity will be an asset to North Alabama and the future growth of our area. Jackson County’s open for business, and we want these types of industries to Alabama.”