Visit with Schneider Electric.

Visit to Orano headquarters.

Governor Bill Lee recently traveled to France with Commissioner McWhorter of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. Governor Lee met with several stakeholders throughout his travels, including representatives from Schneider Electric and Orano, two French energy-focused multinational companies with current operations in Tennessee. In March, Schneider Electric was named the Official Energy Management Partner of the new Nissan Stadium and was also named as one of the world’s most sustainable companies of 2025 by Time Magazine. Orano USA had previously announced plans to locate a multi-billion-dollar uranium enrichment facility in Oak Ridge, marking the largest investment in Tennessee history. Governor Lee and Commissioner McWhorter visited Orano’s Paris headquarters as part of the visit.

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) recently signed the first set of commercial contracts with Type One Energy related to Project Infinity, which aims to develop fusion power plant technology to supply the Tennessee Valley by as early as the mid-2030s. TVA, through its Power Service Shops (PSS) facility in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and with support from other locations, will assist in the development of tailored welding and fabrication techniques for Project Infinity. These manufacturing and construction methods will be used for the Type One Energy Infinity One stellarator fusion machine currently being deployed at TVA’s Bull Run Fossil Plant near Knoxville.

The State of Tennessee’s Chief Operating Officer Brandon Gibson recently announced that Governor Lee has designated the East Tennessee Economic Council’s (ETEC) Nuclear Working Group as the Tennessee Nuclear Network (TN2), the State’s official partnership aimed at advancing nuclear innovation, workforce development, and economic growth across the state. ETEC’s Nuclear Working Group was organized in 2007 and is currently comprised of 93 experts from 50 organizations. The expansion into the Tennessee Nuclear Network forms an even more diverse coalition of leaders in industry, research, academia, and government, dedicated to strengthening Tennessee’s position as a global hub for advanced nuclear.

To explore pathways for new nuclear power development in the United States, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine hosted the Pathways for New Nuclear Development workshop in January in Washington, D.C. The event facilitated in-depth discussions among policymakers, regulators, community leaders, and technical experts from industry, U.S. DOE national laboratories, and academia. Participants examined the challenges of deploying more nuclear power and discussed potential opportunities to overcome these challenges, including strategies to facilitate decision-making, public engagement, workforce development, financing, regulatory improvement, and construction. Attendees, including Tracy Boatner of the East Tennessee Economic Council, shared their experiences and perspectives regarding the real and perceived risks of new nuclear projects and projected timelines, the opportunities of co-locating nuclear plants with other facilities or in non-traditional locations, and the role different reactor designs could play in meeting growing electricity demand.

TDEC OEP is the State coordinator for the National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project, which promotes energy education among students, educators, and civic leaders through the design and delivery of energy education programs. NEED works with energy companies, local government agencies, and community organizations to provide balanced energy programs to the nation’s schools, focusing on professional development for teachers, curriculum design, and turn-key energy education strategies. NEED honors schools across the country through its NEED Project Youth Awards for Energy Achievement, a competition in which teachers take their energy education programs beyond the classroom and encourage students to engage in school and community outreach to share what they have learned about energy efficiency and conservation.

In June, Ivy Academy was named a NEED Project Youth Awards National Finalist and was named Tennessee School of the Year at the state level. Ivy Academy’s project is The NGSL Solar Backpack Project: Providing Sustainable Power and Hope. Learn more about the NEED Project Youth Awards here.

TDEC’s Division of Remediation oversees the Brownfield Redevelopment Area Grant (BRAG). The funding for this grant is authorized through the Rural Brownfields Investment Act (Pub. Ch. 86, effective July 1, 2023). The law promotes conservation of Tennessee’s agricultural, recreational, and open space lands by encouraging environmentally sound redevelopment of properties blighted by real or perceived contamination.

Funding is available for projects related to the identification, planning, assessment, and remediation of brownfields. Eligible applicants must be political subdivisions of the state, including, but not limited to, a county, municipality, development district, or development board. Applications are due September 15.

The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) recently announced the launch of 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. 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.

U.S. Green Buildings Council (USBGC) Tennessee will host a Building Transformation Forum and Leadership Series event on August 5 in Nashville. The event will focus on ecological conservation and restoration and the potential of LEED v5, the latest version of the LEED green building rating system, to address critical impact areas, including decarbonization, biodiversity, resilience, and health. The event will begin with a session exploring “Nashville’s Green Evolution” through a tour of the Neuhoff District, which holds multiple LEED certifications, and a discussion on Cumberland River Conservation efforts. This forum addresses the state's unique needs, including stormwater management, habitat protection, and sustainable growth. Attendees will explore how provide practical strategies to build resilient communities statewide.

Next, attendees will explore LEED v5 in a session led by USGBC staff and key technical contributors involved in its development. Speakers will provide an overview of the system’s goals and impact areas and will highlight its value in meeting organizational needs and enhancing performance and market competitiveness. 

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 2025 Forum will foster discussions around four key questions:

The Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council (TAEBC) will host a TVA Lunch and Learn on August 12 at 11:00 AM Central. Doug Perry, Senior Vice President of Corporate Planning and Development at TVA, will discuss TVA's new Valley Vision initiative, which leverages collaborations with its local power companies and direct-serve customers to better serve the Valley.

TennSMART will host a virtual partner call on August 20 at 12:00 PM Central, which will feature updates from multiple TennSMART partners. Rich Davies with ORNL will provide an update on federal funding opportunities and the federal outlook. Braden Stover with TNECD will provide background on the new IRIS grant program and an update on innovations in the State.

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 across the region.

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 National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, in partnership with the National Association of State Energy Officials, released a new report, Developing State Advanced Nuclear Energy Strategic Frameworks: Guidance for State Energy Offices and Public Utility Commissions. The publication is designed to assist public utility commissions and State Energy Offices with leading and/or contributing to the development of a strategic framework for new nuclear energy generation projects in their states. To support states that are contemplating advanced nuclear opportunities, this report summarizes suggested steps for developing a strategic framework, discusses factors for states to explore, and offers considerations for integrating an advanced nuclear energy strategic framework with other state energy planning, policy development, and regulatory processes.

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

Past Monthly Newsletters: 

June 2025

May 2025

April 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.