Nuclear Power Needs Met in Oak Ridge
It’s no secret that the nation’s vast power demands have caused a surge of innovative solutions to explore the benefits of solar, wind and a revived nuclear power sector.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), nuclear remains the largest source of clean power in the nation, generating 775 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity while avoiding the release of 471 million metric tons of carbon annually. Commercializing nuclear power operations is no simple task, as it still costs a pretty penny to construct and operate these infrastructure projects. It’s a challenge the industry is strategically navigating today as new nuclear projects come to fruition.
About 25 miles west of Knoxville, the Tennessee city of Oak Ridge has solidified its place on the radar of nuclear companies looking to deploy a new fleet of renewable energy resources.
This activity includes buildout of Kairos Power’s $100 million Hermes Low-Power Demonstration Reactor at the East Tennessee Technology Park in Oak Ridge, the nation’s first Gen IV reactor and first non-light-water reactor to receive approval in over 50 years. (For my interview with Kairos Power CEO Mike Laufer, see the TVA Intelligence Report on p. 97 of this issue.) It also includes Maryland-based Orano USA’s planned 750,000-sq.-ft. centrifuge uranium enrichment facility in the region.
The company aims to enhance the nation’s domestic supply of nuclear fuel to decrease the current 30% import of enriched uranium to the U.S. by constructing one of America’s largest commercial facilities catered to this production. Orano is eyeing a greenfield site owned by the DOE due to its environmental considerations, a reliable power supply offered by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), strong support from the state and skilled talent pipeline.
The company is waiting to receive licensing approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to put the project in motion, as NRC pre-licensing was completed in December 2024. The planned “Project Ike” facility will be vital to creating fuel to support nuclear reactors, introducing the desired percentage of uranium-235 to fuel fabricators to create the specific fuel form needed to power various types of reactors. Orano’s multi-billion-dollar investment will create 305 new jobs in Roane County as operations are anticipated to begin by the early 2030s. The county and the state’s Nuclear Energy Fund will contribute a combined $10 million to support utility preparations at the 920-acre site. (For more on Orano, see the TVA Intelligence Report.)
“There are several things that contribute to the attractiveness of this region for companies that are looking for a place to site their new facilities,” says Oak Ridge National Laboratory Nuclear Energy and Fuel Cycle Division Director David Pointer. “Access to research and development facilities helps, but the more important thing is access to an educated workforce that brings the skills necessary to both execute the development of those facilities and then ultimately their operations.”
It is here the industry can find nuclear experts like Pointer who recognize the impact of challenges associated with widespread energy poverty. The University of Tennessee alum pushed to learn how this modern nuclear technology could benefit people like his mother who grew up in a small cabin without a reliable, modern energy source. The ability to discover and promote its safe use on a global scale was precisely the “big impact” Pointer wanted to have to benefit a wider range of people.
The TRISO-X Fuel Fabrication Facility will be operational by 2025.
Rendering courtesy of X-energy
“I was drawn to the idea that energy density is important and being able to make maximum use of resources to provide the most energy to the general public that we can,” Pointer continues. “Doing so in the most cost-effective way is the way we can have the biggest impact.”
X Marks The Spot
The anticipated arrival of nuclear power company X-energy’s TRISO-X Fuel Fabrication Facility (TF3) in Oak Ridge follows years of collaboration with ORNL to develop the company’s own version of TRISO fuel. Dating back to 2016, a TRISO-X Pilot Line unveiled new U.S. capabilities for fabricating fuel kernels, TRISO particles and fuel pebbles with equipment and processes that will be applied to TF3.
In 2022, the company broke ground on its $300 million Horizon Center Industrial Park site with plans to deliver North America’s first commercial-scale advanced nuclear fuel facility by 2025, creating 400 new jobs. Once operational, TF3 will begin with the production of eight metric tons per year of fuel with plans to expand capacity to 16 metric tons annually throughout the 2030s. TRISO-X nuclear fuel produced at this site will be used for the company’s Xe-100 high-temperature gas reactors, which will be operational by 2028.
As TF3 nears completion, X-energy announced in October 2024 that a Series C-1 financing round, anchored by Amazon and supported by Citadel, Ares Management Corporation, NGP and the University of Michigan, resulted in an influx of about $500 million toward the project. This funding will aid the company in finishing the reactor’s design and licensing, in addition to the first phase of operations.
By 2039, Amazon and X-energy will look to introduce more than 5 gigawatts of power projects across the U.S., marking the largest commercial deployment of SMRs. To start, the duo will bring a four-unit, 320-MW facility to central Washington in collaboration with utility group Energy Northwest. Future plans could include expanding the site to 12 units with a capacity of 960 MW as each unit provides 80 MW of electricity for Amazon data centers.
