In the American Nuclear Society’s January edition of Nuclear News, the State of the States, Tennessee was ranked the best state in the U.S. for nuclear. The publication reviewed details of each state’s current nuclear fleet, potential future deployments, nuclear supply chain developments, and company headquarters. Tennessee was recognized as the ‘epicenter’ of nuclear in the U.S., noting the coordination between federal and state policymakers, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and educational institutions, as well as private nuclear companies.

Image courtesy of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development.

Critical materials company Korea Zinc, which manufactures nonferrous metals including zinc, lead, and copper, recently announced it will invest more than $6.6 billion in new production facilities in Clarksville and Gordonsville. These critical materials can support the renewable energy, green hydrogen, and battery industries. The Tennessee locations are the company’s first in the U.S. and the largest single private investment made in Tennessee history. The Clarksville site will house the company’s U.S. headquarters and manufacturing operations, while the Gordonsville site will reopen a former mining site. Over the next five years, the Clarksville facility will create 420 jobs, and the Gordonsville site will create an additional 320.

Image courtesy of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development.

Laser Isotope Separation (LIS) Technologies, a laser uranium enrichment company and developer of advanced laser technology, recently announced an investment of $1.38 billion in a flagship commercial-scale laser-based uranium enrichment facility in Oak Ridge. The announcement marks the third-largest nuclear-related investment since the launch of the Tennessee Nuclear Energy Fund in early 2024. The facility will be located on the historic footprint of the K-25 Uranium Enrichment Site on the 206-acre Duct Island and will house the company’s commercial laser-based uranium enrichment headquarters. The facility will create over 200 jobs and support U.S. utilities, next-generation reactor developers, and national defense. LIS Technologies was previously selected by U.S. DOE to participate in the Low-Enriched Uranium (LEU) Enrichment Acquisition Program.

U.S. DOE recently announced $2.7 billion in awards to support domestic manufacturing of low-enriched uranium (LEU) and high-assay, low-enriched uranium (HALEU) for nuclear fuel. Two of the three awarded companies have operations in Tennessee: Orano and American Centrifuge Operations, part of Centrus Energy Corp. Each company will receive $900 million to support enrichment capacity, ensuring an adequate fuel supply to maintain operations of the existing 94 commercial reactors in the U.S.

Image courtesy of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development.

Centrus Energy recently announced that it will invest $560 million to expand its centrifuge manufacturing plant in Oak Ridge. The expansion will create nearly 430 new jobs and support the production of thousands of advanced centrifuges. Centrus’ Technology and Manufacturing Center in Oak Ridge is the only uranium enrichment centrifuge manufacturing facility in the U.S. The Oak Ridge expansion will support the company’s recently announced plans for an expansion at its Ohio uranium enrichment plant as well, for which the company was previously awarded funding from U.S. DOE to expand with centrifuges produced in Tennessee.

Image courtesy of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. 

ALUKO Group, a manufacturer of critical aluminum materials, recently announced it will expand its Tennessee operations with a new facility in Lauderdale County. The facility will create 285 jobs at its integrated aluminum manufacturing operation and will support and expand the company’s customer base across the electric vehicle, solar energy, construction, and building industries.

TVA recently announced the addition of four new members to its Board of Directors: Art Graham, Mitch Graves, Jeff Hagood, and Randy Jones. The four members restore quorum for the nine-member Board, joining Chair Bill Renick and Directors Bobby Klein and Wade White. Two of the new members are from Tennessee: Mitch Graves of Memphis, who has served on the Memphis Light Gas and Water Board, and Jeff Hagood of Knoxville, a lawyer and businessman.

The U.S. DOE Office of Critical Materials and Energy Innovation recently announced awards to support projects that will enhance the U.S. National Laboratories' capabilities to develop technologies that improve the efficiency and competitiveness of U.S. industry. ORNL was awarded funding for four projects and will partner on two additional projects with other national labs. ORNL’s projects include:

Learn about these and all other selected projects here.

Kairos Power recently announced it has finalized a contract with U.S. DOE to receive HALEU sourced from U.S. DOE materials to support the start-up and operation of Kairos’ Hermes Low-Power Demonstration Reactor (Hermes 1), which is currently under construction in Oak Ridge. Kairos will use the material provided by U.S. DOE to produce HALEU fuel in partnership with the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) is partnering with Roane State Community College and the Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCATs) to prepare students for the nuclear workforce. The collaboration aims to create seamless educational pathways with hands-on training opportunities for students and professionals seeking to transition or advance in nuclear fields. The program includes a 15-hour, three-day course and a 30-hour, weeklong course option.

In response to executive actions, legislative amendments, and a 2025 Supreme Court ruling, TVA has updated its National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) procedures. The updates to procedures aim to increase efficiency, improve business practices, and reduce paperwork. Examples of changes include greater flexibility related to public participation and notification, the incorporation of page limits, and the addition of time limits for Environmental Assessments and Environmental Impact Statements. The Interim Final Rule is available in the Federal Register. Public comments will be accepted through February 20.

TDEC will celebrate the 40th year of the Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Awards in 2026 and invites Tennesseans to submit nominations for the upcoming honors. The awards recognize individuals, businesses, and other organizations for their commitment to preserving the state’s natural resources. The honors include 10 categories: Agriculture and Forestry; Building Green; Clean Air and Transportation Solutions; Energy and Renewable Resources; Environmental Education and Outreach; Materials Management; Natural Resources; Sustainable Performance; Water Quality; and Lifetime Achievement.

Any individual, business, organization, educational institution, or agency is eligible to be nominated, provided it is in Tennessee, and the project was fully implemented and/or finalized in the two years prior to December 31, 2025. Nominations can also be for long-term projects finalized by the year prior to the nomination deadline. All nominees must have a minimum of three consecutive years of overall environmental compliance with TDEC. Self-nominations are encouraged. Nominations are due March 13.

The U.S. Economic Development Administration has made approximately $1.45 billion available through the FY25 Disaster Supplemental Grant Program to support economic recovery activities in areas that received major disaster declarations because of hurricanes, wildfires, severe storms and flooding, tornadoes, and other natural disasters occurring in calendar years 2023 and 2024. The funding opportunity has three pathways:

Eligible applicants include district organizations of an Economic Development District (EDD), Indian tribes, state and local governments, institutions of higher education, public or private nonprofits working with local governments, economic development organizations, and public-private partnerships for public infrastructure. Additional information is available in the Notice of Funding Opportunity. Applications for Readiness and Implementation grants will be accepted on an ongoing basis. Applications for Industry Transformation grants are due March 3.

The U.S. DOE Office of Electricity recently announced that it has reopened the Energy Storage Innovations Prize Round 2. The one-phase competition is a call for new, innovative, and promising energy storage solutions to address niche markets and to grow a community of energy storage innovators. The competition offers a total of $300,000 in prizes.

Round 2 focuses on less conventional use cases (e.g., remote communities, extreme operating conditions) and innovative energy storage technology solutions, across all duration scales, to advance the market landscape. Individuals, academia, non-federal government entities, small businesses, start-ups, entrepreneurs, and other inventors in the U.S. working on nascent or emerging energy storage innovations that address less conventional use cases are eligible to apply. Applications are due by March 13.

Seven States Power Corporation (Seven States) offers Reliability as a Service to enhance grid reliability and resilience through distributed energy resources. Through its program, Seven States will acquire battery storage systems and natural gas generators, providing the capacity to local power companies and their customers for use in demand response, outage mitigation, and local operations. Seven States offers LPCs pricing on backup generators and supports each member in evaluating energy use, system economics, and project feasibility.

TVA EnergyRight recently launched Resilience 360, a program that utilizes vetted, third-party developers to install, operate, and maintain backup generators on-site for businesses. Backup generators support business operations during outages and during grid peak demand. Participants will work out an agreement with the generator installer and operator, as well as TVA, to cover project costs. Whenever a qualified resiliency event occurs, the system automatically activates backup power, allowing the business to continue operations. Learn more about Resilience 360. 

The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) administers the Innovation & Research for Industry Success (IRIS) Grant Program, which aims to enhance and facilitate partnerships between private industry and the state’s leading research institutions. The grant program will encourage companies to pilot innovative technologies and pursue discoveries within the state, which, in turn, will facilitate collaborations that highlight the strength of Tennessee’s research capabilities and foster long-term corporate investment in the state’s innovation ecosystem.

Applications for the inaugural round of IRIS funding are open and will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

The U.S. Nuclear Industry Council will host the Advanced Reactor Summit (ARS) February 10-12 in Seattle, WA. Now in its thirteenth year, ARS convenes stakeholders who move projects from plan to plant. ARS XIII will bring together technology developers, supply-chain leaders, utilities and industrial offtakers, investors, and policymakers to tackle issues such as cost, timelines, policy, and market opportunities. The event will feature execution-focused sessions and practical pathways that align technology, supply chains, customers, capital, and policy - compressing schedules, lowering costs, and accelerating deployment.

Examples of sessions include:

The third annual Tennessee Nuclear Summit & Innovative Energy Day on the Hill will take place February 24 in Nashville. The event, hosted by the Tennessee Nuclear Network, will bring together lawmakers and energy industry professionals to highlight Tennessee’s contributions to nuclear and innovative energy technologies. The event will provide a forum for education, networking, and advocacy to promote leadership in the nuclear and energy innovation sectors.

TDEC and Stone Mountain Technologies, Inc. (SMTI) will host a webinar to explore SMTI’s production‑ready Gas Absorption Heat Pump (GAHP) technology and its potential to dramatically reduce primary energy use for space and water heating across a wide range of applications.

The session will spotlight a U.S. DOE–funded demonstration project underway at King University in Bristol, TN. The initiative, titled Highly Efficient gas Absorption Technology for Energy Reductions (HEATER), features a year‑long pilot designed to showcase the performance of advanced GAHP systems. By combining technical innovation with real‑world results, the project aims to demonstrate how GAHP technology can lower emissions, decrease energy costs, and help institutions and commercial facilities meet their environmental and sustainability goals.

The HEATER project team includes TDEC, SMTI, the National Association of State Energy Officials, and GTI Energy with Utilization Technology Development.

The University of Tennessee (UT) Center for Industrial Services will host the 2026 TN Workforce Development Academy March 3-5 in Cookeville. The two-and-a-half-day training brings together workforce development professionals, business and human resources leaders, economic development practitioners, and community leaders from across the state to explore strategies that strengthen Tennessee’s workforce ecosystem and drive economic growth. The event will feature dynamic sessions, engaging speakers, and valuable networking opportunities.  

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) announced its next Annual Regulatory Information Conference (RIC), to take place March 10-12 in Bethesda, MD. The event will be held in a hybrid format, offering both in-person participation and virtual access. As the NRC’s largest public conference, the RIC is a dynamic forum for stakeholders across government, industry, international organizations, academia, and the public to engage in meaningful dialogue and share insights on key critical and emerging nuclear regulatory issues. This year’s theme, “Regulation, Innovation and Collaboration for a Safer Tomorrow,” underscores NRC’s commitment to safety, progress, and partnership.

The Tennessee Environmental Network Show of the South (TENSOS) will be held in Chattanooga, May 13-15. The three-day event will host environmental professionals seeking to exchange knowledge and share ideas. The educational program offers over 70 unique courses in nine educational breakout sessions, allowing attendees to design their own personalized curriculum. 

OEP's K-12 Energy Education Program is excited to announce that Energy Camps for Educators will return this Summer. These immersive, hands-on professional development experiences are designed to equip teachers with tools, resources, and inspiration to bring energy education into the classroom. Whether new to energy topics or looking to deepen your expertise, these camps offer engaging content, expert-led sessions, and practical classroom applications.

Camp Locations & Dates:

To apply for Energy Camp, complete the K-12 Energy Education Camp Application available here and email the finished application to Angela.McGee@tn.gov and Alisha.Brewer@tn.gov. Applications are due April 3.

The East Tennessee Economic Council (ETEC) will host a Nuclear Opportunities Workshop at the Knoxville Convention Center from August 4-5. The annual conference features experts in nuclear fission and fusion energy, national security, radioisotopes, environmental management, policy, regulation, reactors, and workforce development. Join the email list here for event updates.

The 2026 Tennessee Valley Solar + Storage Conference will take place in Chattanooga, September 2-3. The event brings together people interested in growing the solar and storage market in the Tennessee Valley 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 process and evolving technical opportunities facing the industry in the Tennessee Valley region.

The Tennessee Business Leadership Council commissioned the report Powering Tennessee: Landscape, Challenges, and Opportunities for Tennessee’s Energy Future from the University of Tennessee Baker School of Public Policy & Public Affairs. The landscape analysis examines rising energy costs and demand in Tennessee and identifies key areas for business leaders and policymakers to address. The report notes that while Tennessee enjoys lower, more stable energy prices than other states, energy prices are increasing across the country. Additionally, electricity demand growth in Tennessee is now positive, for the first time in nearly two decades. The report concludes with three priority strategies to support a secure and affordable energy future: facilitating the growth of new generation and transmission assets, investing in research and development of new markets and efficiencies, and minimizing policy uncertainty. View the executive summary for additional information.  

Commissioner Salyers recently shared the 2025 Annual Report, highlighting TDEC's accomplishments in advancing outdoor recreation, regional water supply planning, critical infrastructure investments, and greater accessibility for all in our state parks. The report speaks to the work TDEC has done toward advanced nuclear power, including the TDEC Division of Radiological Health's efforts to develop nuclear fusion regulations. 

TVA recently released an interconnection heatmap that offers interconnection customers more transparency into the TVA transmission system and viable points of interconnection, providing customers with information to make more informed decisions about generator interconnections. The heatmap represents estimated interconnection capability on the TVA transmission system in certain scenarios and limited conditions. Interconnection customers can access the heatmap on TVA's Open Access Same-Time Information System (OASIS).

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

Past Monthly Newsletters: 

December 2025

November 2025

October 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 State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP) under the State Energy Program Award Number DE-SE0001084.

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.