Governor Bill Lee concluded the 2025 legislative session with the successful passage of a $59.5 billion budget focused on infrastructure, education, workforce development, nuclear energy, and public safety. The 2025 state budget includes over $92.6 million in energy-related funding to establish Tennessee as a leader in next-generation nuclear energy and advanced power technologies. Allocations include an additional $10 million investment in the Nuclear Energy Fund, $2.6 million to develop the nation’s first regulatory framework for commercial nuclear fusion, and $50 million to create the Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Grant Fund to support TVA’s Clinch River Nuclear SMR project and position Tennessee as a leader in next-generation nuclear energy.

Design of GE Vernova Hitachi BWRX-300 SMR. Image courtesy of TVA.

TVA recently announced that it was the first utility in the U.S. to submit a construction permit for an SMR to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for the construction of the GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GVH) SMR BWRX-300 technology at TVA’s Clinch River site, where it has already secured the nation’s first and only site permit for SMRs from the NRC. In support of the SMR initiative, TVA led a coalition of partners, including the State of Tennessee, in submitting an application for an $800 million U.S. DOE grant to accelerate BWRX-300 development. Additionally, TVA applied for an $8 million U.S. DOE grant to support NRC license review costs. TVA has already completed the Environmental Report for the Clinch River site and submitted it to the NRC. Preliminary SMR site preparation could begin as soon as 2026.

Crews watched as concrete flowed into the first drilled pier shaft for the Hermes foundation. Image courtesy of Kairos Power.

Kairos Power has begun nuclear safety-related construction of its Hermes Low-Power Demonstration Reactor in Oak Ridge. The Hermes reactor is the first advanced reactor being constructed with a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) permit. It will utilize technologies developed in Oak Ridge that enhance safety and streamline the reactor’s design. Kairos Power is building the demonstration reactor as part of its iterative approach to mitigating technology, licensing, supply chain, and construction risks for the commercial fleet.

Mark Whitney announced Nuclear Center of Excellence at East Tennessee Economic Council (ETEC). Image courtesy of Amentum.

Amentum, an advanced engineering and technology solutions provider, recently announced the opening of its new Nuclear Center of Excellence (COE) in Oak Ridge. The Nuclear COE will serve as a strategic hub for nuclear expertise, engineering, and operational excellence, furthering nuclear solutions needed for large-scale power generation and advanced energy technologies. The center will work closely with government agencies, strengthening partnerships in the public and private sector to foster collaboration, share expertise, and drive technological advancement. The center will support the maintenance and modernization of nuclear infrastructure to ensure the safe operation of nuclear facilities.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) recently announced it is partnering with Elementl Power, an advanced nuclear development company, to advance a data-driven siting approach for advanced nuclear projects. The work started through a U.S. DOE Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) voucher and has led to agreements with Elementl to prepare three U.S. sites for advanced nuclear deployment in partnership with Google. The company leveraged ORNL’s OR-SAGE siting tool to enhance its methodology further and will continue to work with ORNL to expedite the siting of nuclear projects.

TVA EnergyRight offers various types of support for business and industry partners, including energy efficiency incentives, revitalization programs, and strategic energy management. TVA provides no-cost energy assessments to customers with an electrical demand of 1,000 kW and greater to identify and quantify incentive-eligible energy efficiency projects. For industrial customers with an electrical demand of 3,500kW and greater, TVA and its LPCs offer the Strategic Energy Management program, which lasts two years and helps qualifying industrial customers increase profitability and achieve sustainability goals by reducing energy use and lowering carbon emissions. The program provides energy performance modeling, energy mapping, onsite engineering studies, and individualized monthly coaching, all tailored to help eliminate energy waste.

U.S. DOE’s Energy Innovator Fellowship Program funds recent graduates and early career energy professionals to support critical energy organizations in advancing solutions that will help modernize the power system, improve energy infrastructure for transportation and industry, and make the power system more reliable, affordable, and resilient. Innovator Fellows can spend up to two years participating in the program. The fellowship is open to recent Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral graduates and energy professionals who have received their degree within the last 5 years as of June 30, 2025. For this current cycle, the Electric Power Board of Chattanooga is listed as a potential host organization. Applications are due June 6.

The U.S. DOE Industrial Training & Assessment Centers (ITAC) Program has re-opened applications for small and medium-sized manufacturing (SMM) firms to receive grants of up to $300,000 per unique assessment recommendation from ITAC assessments. These grants will support projects to improve energy and material efficiency, increase productivity, and reduce emissions at SMMs. U.S. DOE has extended the application deadline and selection process for this program to be compliant with recent Executive Orders. The application deadline is to be determined, and U.S. DOE will provide a 30-60 day notice prior to closing the application portal.

The Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) launched a learning series on registered apprenticeships through its Apprenticeships in Clean Energy (ACE) Network, a national coalition of industry, training, and workforce development leaders seeking to expand and diversify Registered Apprenticeship opportunities in the clean energy industries. Webinars are scheduled for the third Wednesday of every month at 2:00 PM Eastern through November, and each session will focus on a specific aspect of apprenticeships, equipping attendees with the knowledge to develop, implement, and manage successful programs.

The East Tennessee Economic Council will host the 2025 Nuclear Opportunities Workshop (NOW) in Knoxville on July 22-23. The event will focus on all things nuclear: fission, fusion, isotopes, environmental management, AI in nuclear, and workforce. NOW is a place to learn about industry developments, opportunities, and advancements in research and technologies. Attendees will network and engage with experts from TVA, U.S. DOE and its contractors; a diverse array of small and large private-industry companies showcasing projects and technological capabilities; and students, interns, and postdocs.

The Southeast Energy Policy Forum will take place August 5-6 in Knoxville. The Forum is hosted by the Center for Energy, Transportation, and Environmental Policy, housed at the Howard H. Baker Jr. School of Public Policy and Public Affairs at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. It convenes industry leaders, nonprofits, ORNL, TVA, and government officials for accessible policy analysis, insights on the policy process, and policy-centered technical discussions about emerging technologies.

The Tennessee Solar Energy Industries Association (TenneSEIA) will host its 2025 Tennessee Valley Solar + Storage Conference in Nashville on October 28-30. The focus of the Conference is to bring together people interested in growing solar business opportunities in the Tennessee Valley and to discuss strategies, market trends, and policies that impact the solar industry. Attendees will participate in in-depth and forward-looking discussions on TVA policy and processes and the evolving technical opportunities facing the industry in the Tennessee Valley. Early registration discounts are available before July 4.

The 2025 Governor’s Conference, or GovCon, will be held November 4-5 in Murfreesboro. The event will bring together leaders from across the state to define what economic development means to communities. GovCon is the premier event for networking and collaboration, designed to elevate business, community, and rural development efforts across Tennessee.

The Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council (TAEBC) will host the annual Opportunities in Energy event on November 19 in downtown Knoxville. The event will bring together TNEAC members and stakeholders to discuss all new and upcoming “opportunities” in the advanced energy sector, including trends, businesses, technologies, and other exciting developments.

The MyTN app includes available services and resources for the State of Tennessee. The app now includes personal preparedness resources from the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, including emergency preparedness, response, and recovery information for Tennesseans. The app displays real-time weather and emergency alert messages, as well as maps of open Red Cross Shelters, Smartway maps of real-time traffic conditions from the Tennessee Department of Transportation, and local emergency management contact information. MyTN has resources to help individuals build emergency kits, create emergency plans for themselves and their families, and learn about the emergency hazards Tennesseans face.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) recently released its 2025 Summer Assessment on the outlook for energy markets and electric reliability during June to September. The assessment details that if normal operating conditions prevail, all regions of the country will have adequate generating resources to meet expected summer demand and operating reserve requirements; however, margins are getting tighter as generation resources retire and load increases.

Visit the TDEC Office of Energy Programs Website at http://www.tn.gov/environment/energy.

Past Monthly Newsletters: 

April 2025

March 2025

February 2025

For more information or to submit an idea for a future Monthly Transportation Edition, contact:

Audrey Jackson, Communications Officer
TDEC Office of Energy Programs
615-917-6683 or audrey.jackson@tn.gov

OR

Alexa Voytek, Deputy Director, OEP Programs
U.S. DOE State Energy Program / Innovation & Transportation / Communications
TDEC Office of Energy Programs
 615-613-1096 or alexa.voytek@tn.gov

OR

Mark Finlay, Senior Energy Analyst, TDEC Office of Energy Programs
615-772-6011 or mark.finlay@tn.gov

Acknowledgement: This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) under the State Energy Program Award Number DE-EE0009487

Disclaimer: This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government.  Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof.