The University of Tennessee (UT) was awarded $1 million in funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support the preparation of Tennessee high school students and teachers for careers in the semiconductor industry. The three-year project, Explorations: Tennessee Experiential Learning for Teachers and Students to Empower Pathways into Microelectronics, is funded through NSF’s Experiential Learning for Emerging and Novel Technologies program. The project will train high school teachers in UT labs alongside faculty and graduate students, equipping them to deliver classroom-ready modules in semiconductor design and manufacturing.

TVA EnergyRight offers incentives for energy efficiency improvements in business and industry. Through December 25, qualifying indoor and outdoor LED lighting, new construction lighting, and customer energy efficiency projects earn a 15% bonus in addition to the standard incentive rates. Business and industry customers are eligible for financial incentives on qualifying equipment purchases to help lower costs and reach energy goals, thanks to a partnership between TVA and local power companies. Incentives are available for a variety of upgrades, including HVAC and variable speed drives, LED lighting, electric forklifts, refrigeration, and thermal ice storage, and custom incentives may be created in consultation with TVA. All incentives are contingent upon available funding and are subject to preapproval by TVA EnergyRight and your local power company. To qualify, customers must use a member of TVA’s Quality Contractor Network to install upgrades. Information on available incentives can be found on the TVA EnergyRight Business & Industry Incentives webpage.

Image courtesy of Schneider Electric.

Schneider Electric, a multinational energy technology company, recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the completion of its first manufacturing facility in Mt. Juliet. The new facility is the first of a two-part campus expansion for the company, with the neighboring facility still under construction. Together, both facilities will manufacture custom power distribution products to bolster support for critical infrastructure and help meet rising regional demand across segments, including data centers, buildings, industry, and infrastructure. The new facility adds to the company’s footprint in Tennessee, which also includes research & development centers in Franklin and Smyrna.

Image courtesy of Metropolitan Nashville Police Department.

Metro Nashville’s Department of General Services recently celebrated the opening of the Southeast Police Precinct, which is pursuing LEED Gold certification. The facility features 120 kW of rooftop solar panels and an energy-efficient geothermal exchange system, which utilizes underground pipes to harness constant temperatures of 50-60° and reduce cooling costs in the summer and heating costs in the winter. It also features electric vehicle charging, which is available for public use, energy-efficient LED lighting, and numerous naturally lit spaces.

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

Hyosung HICO, Ltd., a power transformer manufacturer, will invest over $150 million to expand operations at its manufacturing headquarters in Memphis. Upon completion, the new plant will expand manufacturing capacity by an additional 50%, making the facility one of the largest domestic power transformer manufacturing operations in the U.S. and the only facility currently dedicated to manufacturing 765kV transformers domestically. The expansion is expected to create 240 new jobs.

Image courtesy of X-energy.

X-energy Reactor Company, LLC and its wholly-owned subsidiary TRISO-X LLC recently announced the beginning of construction for its advanced nuclear fuel fabrication facility in Oak Ridge. The facility, TX-1, is expected to be the first facility in the U.S. to exclusively manufacture fuel for advanced Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). It will be dedicated to fabricating X-energy’s proprietary tristructural-isotropic (TRISO) fuel for the company’s first proposed deployment of the Xe-100 SMR.

Tennessee Tech University (TTU) recently announced that it will launch a new Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the fall of 2026. The major, housed in TTU’s Department of Computer Science, will educate students on the theories, systems, and development behind the emerging technology. The curriculum will include courses in parallel programming, deep learning, and human-AI interaction.

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 Appalachian Regional Commission’s (ARC) Appalachian Regional Initiative for Stronger Economies (ARISE) initiative aims to drive large-scale, regional economic transformation through collaborative projects. The funding opportunity seeks to strengthen Appalachian business and industry and grow and support the development of new opportunities. Projects will be funded up to $500,000 for planning projects and $10 million for implementation projects. All proposed projects must align with at least one of the ARC’s five strategic investment goals:

Eligible entities include local development districts, state and local government, institutions of higher education, and public or private nonprofit organizations and associations. Pre-applications are due December 5.

The U.S. DOE Office of Fossil Energy recently announced up to $275 million available under the Mines and Metals Expansion Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to address the potential for industries to recover critical materials. Funding will support the piloting of promising future separation and recovery technologies directly at industrial sites.

The NOFO includes two focus areas for the design, construction, and operation of large pilot-scale facilities to produce critical materials:

Additional information is available in the NOFO. Applications are due December 15 by 5:00 PM Eastern.

The U.S. DOE Office of Fossil Energy recently announced up to $80 million available under the Mine of the Future – Proving Ground Initiative NOFO, which supports U.S. DOE’s broader Mine of the Future initiative to accelerate technology commercialization and increase the competitiveness of domestic mining operations.

Field sites are essential for minerals and mining stakeholders to test innovative technologies under real-world conditions. Awards made under this NOFO will develop mining proving grounds and support research and development projects that accelerate technologies past laboratory and/or bench scale to testing and demonstration in a field-scale setting.

Selected projects will also create opportunities for hands-on workforce training to prepare the next generation of American miners and engineers to operate advanced mining systems safely and efficiently.

Additional information is available in the NOFO. Applications are due December 15 by 5:00 PM Eastern.

The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) launched 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.

Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability will launch a new Southeast Power Sector Competitiveness Dashboard on December 11. The Dashboard compiles key metrics on a range of policies and practices that impact how utilities, regulators, producers, and consumers interact. This includes the extent to which state policies, regulatory structures, and market arrangements create conditions that promote consumer choice, support distributed generation, foster multi-actor participation, and facilitate the sharing of regional resources. The Dashboard covers Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

During this webinar, Duke experts will discuss the dashboard’s purpose, compare regional competitiveness metrics across states in the Southeast U.S., introduce the resource’s interactive features and information through a live demonstration, and provide time for questions.

The Nuclear Industry Systems Workforce Summit is hosted by the Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation, Clemson University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and Vanderbilt University. The event will be held in Nashville on December 16. The event will explore the future of academic and technical training needs in the nuclear industry and discuss how academic partnerships can address these needs.

The inaugural AI Tennessee Summit will take place January 28-29, 2026, in Nashville and will bring together leaders from government, industry, and academia to explore how Tennessee can position itself at the forefront of the nation’s AI race. The event is hosted by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in collaboration with the Tennessee AI Advisory Council, the State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE), Vanderbilt University, the University of Memphis, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the Tennessee Board of Regents.

The U.S. Nuclear Industry Council will host the Advanced Reactor Summit (ARS) February 10-12, 2026, 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.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) announced its next Annual Regulatory Information Conference (RIC), to take place March 10-12, 2026, 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.

OEP's K-12 Energy Education Program is excited to announce that Energy Camps for Educators will return in Summer 2026! 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:

The East Tennessee Economic Council (ETEC) will host a Nuclear Opportunities Workshop at the Knoxville Convention Center from August 4-5, 2026. 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 Energy Communities Alliance (ECA) released the report From the Atomic Age to New Nuclear about communities across the country ready to support nuclear technologies. The report captures a snapshot of the nuclear projects underway across the U.S. and outlines the attributes that make energy communities optimal for U.S. nuclear leadership. A section on Tennessee highlights a few of the recent advances that have occurred and been announced in the state, including announcements from Oklo, Inc., Orano USA, and recent construction by Kairos Power.

Before natural uranium can be used as fuel in most nuclear power plants, it needs to undergo enrichment in order to sustain a nuclear chain reaction. Approximately 0.7% of natural uranium can sustain a fission chain reaction, releasing large amounts of energy. Enrichment raises the concentration of this amount in uranium fuel to make it more likely to sustain a reaction in commercial nuclear reactors. U.S. DOE created the webpage Uranium Enrichment, Explained, to provide everything you need to know about uranium enrichment levels, technologies, and the future of nuclear fuel.

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

Past Monthly Newsletters: 

October 2025

September 2025

August 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.