Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on Sept. 4 announced that Orano USA has selected Oak Ridge, Tenn., as the preferred site to construct a new, multi-billion-dollar, state-of-the-art centrifuge uranium enrichment facility.
When the facility becomes operational, the project will be served by Oak Ridge Electric, a local power company that partners with the Tennessee Valley Authority.
TVA leaders recently joined local and state economic development partners in Oak Ridge to announce the project.
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.
The company specializes in uranium mining, conversion and 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 state and supports the state’s universities and research institutions in further developing their nuclear education programs.
Lee, in partnership with the General Assembly, established the Nuclear Energy Fund in the state’s Fiscal Year 2023-2024 budget. An additional $10 million was appropriated in the state’s budget in Fiscal Year 2024-2025.
“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,” said TVA President and CEO Jeff Lyash.
“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,” he said.
