Tennessee leading the national nuclear energy revival
Among the reasons are the new Nuclear Energy Fund and the 22-member Tennessee Nuclear Energy Advisory Council.
A publication named RealClear Energy published a provocative headline that read as follows: “Tennessee Leads the Way in a U.S. Nuclear Revival.”
As might be expected, the article accompanying the headline published days after Paris-based Orano USA agreed to build a uranium enrichment centrifuge facility on the Roane County side of Oak Ridge. It would be the largest single capital investment in Tennessee’s history, surpassing the $5.6 billion being invested by the Ford Motor Company in BlueOval City.
The article noted that Orano is the second of four projects announced in the last six months, further strengthening Tennessee’s status as “the number one state for nuclear energy companies to invest and thrive,” according to Tennessee Governor Bill Lee. Among the reasons cited for Tennessee leading the nuclear energy revival are the new Nuclear Energy Fund and the 22-member Tennessee Nuclear Energy Advisory Council.
The article notes several additional major announcements.
- NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. announced its purchase of a 1.64-acre site in Oak Ridge’s historic Heritage Center Industrial Park for its headquarters. NANO is a vertically integrated advanced nuclear energy and technology company that is developing portable micro reactors.
- A month earlier, Kairos Power began construction of its next-generation salt-cooled demo reactor in Oak Ridge.
- Back in April, TRISO-X received a $148.5 million tax credit from the federal government for its advanced nuclear fuel plant in the city.
The article cites the fact that Oak Ridge and nearby Knoxville together are home to 154 nuclear companies and the iconic Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
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