Reuse of Wartime Lands in Volunteer State Launches Nation’s Next American Energy Hub

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. - The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) recently highlighted its American Energy Hubs, an initiative that is transforming former Manhattan Project and Cold War sites into engines for innovation, affordable energy production, advanced manufacturing, and economic growth.

Oak Ridge has become a trailblazer for President Donald Trump's ambitious vision for DOE and EM. Federal teams, working in partnership with state and local officials, have established a successful model for restoration and revitalization that is giving these lands a new chapter as the Oak Ridge American Energy Hub - an epicenter for the United States' ongoing nuclear renaissance that will sustain the nation's growing energy demands.

That was the message from EM Assistant Secretary Tim Walsh at this year's Nuclear Opportunities Workshop, where he addressed a capacity crowd at the Knoxville Convention Center.

"Our work is transforming sites that were instrumental in powering and protecting our nation decades ago and making it possible for them to do it again," said Walsh. "These efforts are paving the way for projects and investments on a scale unseen since these sites were first constructed. Now they are creating high-paying jobs for the next generation, supporting technological advances, and ramping up to generate historic levels of power to the grid to increase affordable energy."

Partnerships with the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, City of Oak Ridge, Roane County, Anderson County, Roane Alliance, Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board, Oak Ridge Corridor Development Corporation, and Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) are driving major private-sector investments that are creating economic opportunities and building crucial infrastructure to increase energy production in the United States.

To date, EM has transferred more than 2,500 acres of federal land in Oak Ridge to the community for economic reuse, with hundreds more acres expected to be transferred in the near term. That land is now home to businesses that have announced approximately $10 billion in projected capital investment and are expected to create thousands of private-sector jobs.

Among them are companies that represent the complete nuclear lifecycle.

Orano USA's announced enrichment facility will provide a domestic capability for producing fuel for power plants, while BWXT is enriching fuels for national security missions. LIS Technologies is developing new laser enrichment technology. TRISO-X is producing fuel for next generation reactors, including those being constructed locally by Kairos Power. Radiant Nuclear has announced a factory to manufacture microreactors, and Oklo Inc. has announced a nuclear fuel recycling facility.

A major contributor to the pace and scale of this redevelopment is the support of the governor's office in attracting companies to the region, along with the leadership of Tennessee's congressional delegation representing the region, including Sens. Marsha Blackburn, Bill Hagerty, and Rep. Chuck Fleischmann. All three provided remarks at this year's Nuclear Opportunities Workshop earlier today.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee launched Tennessee's Nuclear Energy Fund in 2023. Since then, the state has allocated $95 million to support the expansion of nuclear-related businesses, workforce development and site infrastructure.

"Tennessee is leading America's nuclear renaissance because we've built an unmatched ecosystem of innovation, investment, and opportunity," said Lee. "Our selection as a finalist for a Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus reinforces the Volunteer State's commitment to advancing safe, reliable energy solutions for generations to come. I thank the Trump Administration and our federal, state, and local partners as we strengthen America's energy dominance, enhance our national security, and create greater opportunity for Tennesseans."

"Congressional backing is breathing new life into the nuclear industry by revitalizing once-dormant land and attracting substantial industry and investment through the ambitious American Energy Hubs initiative. By leveraging federal investment and bipartisan support, the initiative is positioning East Tennessee as a leader in the nation's energy future, fostering job creation, supporting local communities, and driving long-term prosperity. I'm excited that these efforts are setting the stage for historic levels of investment and development for the Volunteer State," said Fleischmann.

The land for many of these economic development opportunities in Oak Ridge is made available from the environmental restoration conducted by EM and contractor United Cleanup Oak Ridge. Their work has transformed a shuttered government-owned uranium enrichment complex into a privately owned industrial park.

That transformation process involved demolishing and removing more than 500 facilities with a combined footprint covering the equivalent to 225 football fields and excavating more than 50,000 dump truck loads of soil, clearing the way for this revitalization.

EM's focus on purposeful cleanup, paired with its American Energy Hub initiative, will continue to build on that progress by expanding revitalization opportunities at a growing number of its sites nationwide - creating new jobs, unleashing affordable energy, and keeping America the global leader in new nuclear energy and technologies.

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