A nuclear fuel company will generate more than 1,100 new jobs in Tennessee through an expansion of its Oak Ridge campus, according to announcements from the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) and X-energy, which both credited an $11 million grant from the State of Tennessee for the development.
The company said in a press release that the grant will support the plans by the company’s subsidiary, TRISO-X, to create a facility to develop America’s first source of TRi-structural ISOtropic particle fuel (TRISO) for use in the small modular reactors (SMRs) manufactured by X-energy.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, TRISO particles are made of uranium, carbon, and oxygen, but are “the most robust nuclear fuel on earth” because they are “encapsulated by three layers of carbon- and ceramic-based materials that prevent the release of radioactive fission products.”
The federal agency explains that TRISO particles are about the size of a poppy seed, but can be fabricated into “billiard ball-sized spheres called ‘pebbles'” that cannot be melted by the latest “commercial high-temperature” reactors.
X-energy announced that the funding will be used to complete its TX-1 facility, which is currently under construction and will “establish domestic production of TRISO-X fuel,” and to build its TX-2 facility, which will “significantly expand capacity” and “create more than 1,000 permanent jobs.”
The company additionally plans to use the money to create a dedicated testing and research facility.
In its press release, TNECD said it anticipates creating a total of 1,140 jobs through the initiative.
“Oak Ridge represents the frontier of American energy independence and cutting-edge research,” said Governor Bill Lee in a Wednesday statement. “We are proud to announce additional jobs and investment from TRISO-X today, bringing more than 1,000 new high-quality job opportunities and strengthening Tennessee’s role as a national leader in advanced energy innovation.”
State Senator Ken Yager (R-Kingston) similarly called the development a “major win for Tennessee.”
Yager stated, “More than 1,100 new jobs will create life-changing opportunities for working families while reinforcing our state’s reputation as one of the best places in the nation to do business.”
Nuclear investments in Tennessee seem to have seen a resurgence under the second Trump administration, with billions of dollars in investments across multiple new projects announced since the beginning of last year.
It also comes amid a shift in direction at the Tennessee Valley Authority, which has embraced clean coal and nuclear energy as its board composition shifted to give members appointed by President Donald Trump a majority.
Of Trump’s appointments to the TVA board, the U.S. Senate has so far only failed to act on Lee Beaman, the Tennessee businessman whom a Senate committee declined to advance last year. Trump renominated Beaman in January, but more than six months have passed without the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee holding a vote.
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Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
