Author: jmuir

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Stuart C. McWhorter and Orano USA officials announced today the company has selected Oak Ridge, Tennessee, as the preferred site to construct a new, multi-billion-dollar, state-of-the-art centrifuge uranium enrichment facility.

The uranium enrichment center will be a multi-structure commercial production site covering approximately 750,000 square feet, making it one of the largest in North America. Facility operations will create more than 300 new direct jobs in Roane County.

With U.S. headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland, and global headquarters in Paris, France, Orano is a leading technology and services provider for the commercial and federal nuclear industries. The company specializes in uranium mining/conversion/enrichment, used nuclear fuel management and recycling, decommissioning shutdown nuclear energy facilities, federal site clean-up and closure and developing nuclear medicines to fight cancer.

Orano will be the second company to locate in Tennessee utilizing the Nuclear Energy Fund, which assists nuclear energy-related businesses choosing to relocate or grow in the Volunteer State and supports the state’s universities and research institutions in further developing their nuclear education programs.

The $50 million fund was in Gov. Lee’s recommended 2023-2024 budget and approved by the Tennessee General Assembly. An additional $10 million was allocated and approved in the state’s budget during the 2024 legislative session.

The project announced today was vetted and recommended by the Education and Workforce subgroup, part of the 22-member Tennessee Nuclear Energy Advisory Council.

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“Our administration created the Nuclear Energy Fund in partnership with the Tennessee General Assembly to support and expand the state’s nuclear ecosystem, and in the last six months, we’ve announced four projects that will further strengthen Tennessee’s position as a leader in safe, clean and reliable energy for the future. Tennessee is the number one state for nuclear energy companies to invest and thrive, and we are proud to partner with Orano to lead America’s energy independence and drive continued economic growth and greater opportunity for Tennesseans.” – Gov. Bill Lee

“Today we are announcing a significant milestone for the future of reliable and clean energy in our state thanks to Orano’s selection of Oak Ridge as the preferred site to locate one of North America’s largest uranium enrichment centers. With assets like Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the city’s rich history in the nuclear industry, Oak Ridge is primed to support Orano’s efforts, and we look forward to the future opportunities this partnership will create for both Orano and Tennessee. A special thank you to Congressman Chuck Fleischmann for his leadership and support of this project throughout this recruitment process.” – TNECD Commissioner Stuart C. McWhorter

“We are very pleased to make this announcement with the great state of Tennessee. The warm welcome, responsive engagement and established nuclear energy community in Oak Ridge, as well as access to continuous and stable power, have been key factors for this site selection. We’re already preparing for our next required steps, including securing available Federal support and customer commitments, obtaining an NRC license and Orano’s Board approval, but today we celebrate this major milestone towards bringing a new enrichment facility online to help meet our country’s need for an increased, secure domestic nuclear fuel supply.” – Jean-Luc Palayer, CEO and President, Orano USA

“We are thrilled to welcome Orano to Roane County, the nation’s most nuclear-friendly community. Orano’s decision to locate in Oak Ridge represents a historic milestone: the first instance in global history where a community has transitioned from uranium enrichment during the Manhattan Project, through environmental cleanup and reindustrialization, back to enrichment. Roane County, together with our regional partners, stand ready to support Orano’s enrichment endeavors, and we celebrate this remarkable achievement with them today.” – Roane County Executive Wade Creswell

“Since the days of the Manhattan Project, Oak Ridge has played a vital role in advancing nuclear innovation and supporting the nuclear industry in the U.S. and the world. As we welcome Orano to Oak Ridge, we understand our new role in contributing toward a carbon-free, energy future. This goal cannot be accomplished without uranium enrichment, and Orano has proven itself to be a world leader in the industry. Orano will help us build out the supply chain for additional industries while creating good paying jobs for Oak Ridgers.” – Oak Ridge Mayor Warren L. Gooch

“TVA believes nuclear energy must be a part of our regional and national drive toward a clean energy future – and the state of Tennessee is leading the way. East Tennessee’s status as a nuclear technologies incubator is made possible through partnerships between TVA, the Department of Energy, state and local economic development agencies, elected officials and innovative companies like Orano. Working together, we will advance nuclear technologies that are crucial to supporting not only energy security, but also national security.” – TVA President and CEO Jeff Lyash

“This announcement puts Tennessee firmly on the cutting edge of the future of nuclear power. Energy independence will be critical to our nation’s success. The development and expansion of clean and efficient nuclear power is the path to that independence. This unprecedented project will provide much needed jobs for Tennesseans and place us at the forefront of a critical industry sector. I am grateful to Governor Lee, Commissioner McWhorter and all my colleagues in the General Assembly for making this possible.” – Lt. Gov. Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge)

“There is no better place to advance nuclear energy than Tennessee. With Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TVA and numerous nuclear power plants supplying energy across the Southeast, our state is at the forefront of nuclear innovation. We are excited to further that innovation and soon be home to a major nuclear fuel enrichment facility. This significant project coupled with Tennessee’s experts, workforce, and visionaries will play an instrumental role in moving our nation towards energy independence. I appreciate Governor Lee and Commissioner McWhorter and the General Assembly for their support of nuclear energy, and I look forward to continuing to serve on the Nuclear Energy Advisory Council as we all work together to advance Tennessee’s ability to lead the nation in nuclear energy.” – Sen. Ken Yager (R-Kingston)

“I am pleased to welcome Orano to East Tennessee. Our community has been a center of the nuclear industry for nearly a century, creating the Oak Ridge advantage. Orano’s multi-billion-dollar project, along with 300 new top-tier jobs, will help keep Oak Ridge competitive in the years to come. East Tennessee is poised to lead our nation’s nuclear renaissance as we work to achieve energy independence.” – Rep. Monty Fritts (R-Kingston) 

“Oak Ridge is home to some of the brightest scientists in the world, and it is only fitting that our community is the future home to one of the only nuclear fuel enrichment facilities in the U.S. Our city and state have become a household name in the nuclear energy industry, and I look forward to seeing continued success for many years to come. We are grateful for this significant project in our city.” – Rep. John Ragan (R-Oak Ridge)

The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) announced today $2.9 million will be awarded to seven collaborative teams through the Transportation Network Growth Opportunity (TNGO) initiative.

TNGO, which received an initial $5 million in funding through the Tennessee General Assembly during the 2023 legislative session, serves as a tool to diversify the state’s economy by leveraging both public and private sector assets to attract mobility research and development (R&D) investment to Tennessee.

“For decades, Tennessee has been leading the nation with our strong manufacturing workforce. In partnership with the General Assembly, we’ve made strategic investments to further diversify our business environment and attract research and development companies that will create more high-quality jobs,” said Gov. Bill Lee. “Our state is fortunate to have a vast network of educational institutions that are training the next generation of workers, and we want companies to know that our pro-business climate can support the entire mobility supply chain.”

An additional $2.5 million in funding was approved by the legislature in the spring of this year and is part of the state’s efforts to make Tennessee the No. 1 destination in the Southeast for automotive and mobility R&D investment.

“Launching the TNGO initiative was the beginning of a broader conversation around mobility to further identify Tennessee’s strengths in this sector and connect our already existing assets with companies looking to engineer and design the next great product in the state,” said TNECD Commissioner Stuart C. McWhorter. “I am proud to take part in announcing nearly $3 million in funding today to support these seven projects and look forward to seeing their success.”

The selected projects exemplify how Tennessee can lead in industry-driven and collaborative mobility R&D and will serve as catalysts to attract additional industry-related R&D investment to the state.

The grant recipients listed below include students and faculty from Tennessee’s leading research institutions who will partner with industry, economic developers and community leaders to bring their plans to fruition.

University of Tennessee Space Institute, Tullahoma — $100,000

Safety Limit Prediction of Degraded Lithium-Ion Batteries for the Automotive Industry –

The outcomes of the project will provide useful insights into battery and thermal management systems and mitigate electric vehicle battery safety accidents.

Williamson County EMA, Franklin – $450,000

School Bus Route Artificial Intelligence (AI) Optimization and Safety Initiative –

The project includes the development of an AI application to update parents, students and district staff on real-time bus route management solutions to increase efficiencies and manage options based on driver and vehicle availability.

University of Tennessee – Chattanooga, Chattanooga — $490,000

Advancing High Powered Dynamic Wireless Charging for Medium-and Heavy-Duty Vehicles –

A 25-foot demonstration project designed to showcase Electrovia’s system, efficiently charging medium-and heavy-duty vehicles in dynamic and stop-and-go scenarios. The project will debut a dedicated Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) system enabling seamless wireless vehicle charging.

Vanderbilt University, Clarksville – $350,000

Mobile Lidar Solution to Enhance Traffic Safety and Efficiency Across Tennessee –

By leveraging lidar sensors, the project addresses significant traffic-related fatalities and injuries through state-of-the-art sensing and data analysis and avoids privacy concerns that arise when using camera-based approaches.

Middle West TN Clean Fuels Coalition, Nashville – $500,000

Demonstrating Real World Artificial Intelligence (AI) through Traffic Signal Control –

The project aims to demonstrate a cutting-edge AI-based signal control technology, DASiC, which learns and predicts traffic dynamics and optimally controls the signals using reinforcement learning to improve mobility efficiency up to 20% in selected areas.

University of Tennessee – Knoxville, Knoxville – $500,000

Building Platform for Development of Automotive Cybersecurity Testing –

The project includes the development of an advanced research infrastructure for rigorous testing in controlled environments to enhance the security and reliability of automotive systems in response to increasing cyber threats.

University of Memphis, Memphis and Chattanooga — $500,000

Designing Multimodal Transit System for Blue Oval City and Volkswagen –

The project creates a user interface that allows users to have real-time data on the best ways to get to access public transportation to get to work. The application will also integrate public transit options with parking solutions for commuters from more rural areas.

TNECD launched the TNGO discovery phase earlier this year to gain a broader understanding of how the mobility shift in automotive and transportation is impacting companies, communities, economic development and education. 

The feedback received from the initial phase resulted in TNECD announcing a TNGO funding phase to collaborate and develop projects that could address those statewide challenges and opportunities uncovered during the discovery. 

“One important goal of this inaugural funding round is to pilot projects in communities across the state that can serve as examples so that other communities can replicate and build upon these projects in the future,” said TNECD Chief Policy Officer Braden Stover. “By providing grants to ignite innovation and collaboration between Tennessee-based universities, companies and communities, we believe we will spur increased public-private partnerships in the future,”

Each proposed project aligns with Tennessee’s key automotive and mobility technology strengths and opportunities outlined in a 2022 mobility assessment report from Guidehouse Consulting, which was supported by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the University of Tennessee System and Vanderbilt University.

An external committee, comprised of four state agencies as well as ORNL, TVA, Launch Tennessee and TennSMART, reviewed and scored the project applications. Based on the scoring rubric, the committee determined the top ranked projects for TNECD’s grant committee to recommend and approve for funding.  

For more information or questions, please reach out to [email protected].