Tennessee has been selected as a potential host for a U.S. Department of Energy Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus, a program that officials say could bring billions in investment and strengthen the state's role in the nation's nuclear industry.
The Volunteer State was one of five finalists, along with Utah, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Idaho, after the agency reviewed 28 applications from 26 states, the DOE said in a July 28 statement.
The proposed campuses would support the full nuclear fuel cycle, including fuel fabrication, uranium enrichment, advanced reactors, manufacturing, and potentially co-located nuclear-powered data centers. The DOE said the campuses could also include facilities that handle used nuclear fuel but has not specified what
each site would contain.
DOE officials said the campuses are designed to strengthen the nation's nuclear supply chain as the President Donald Trump's administration seeks to expand nuclear power to meet growing electricity demand from artificial intelligence and data centers.
Tennessee has seen a boom in data center development, with projects emerging across the state. Data centers accounted for about 18% of the Tennessee Valley Authority's industrial power load last year, a share TVA expects to double by 2030.
DOE estimates each campus could attract up to $50 billion in investment, generate as much as $10 billion in state and local tax revenue, and create nearly 25,000 jobs, though no final sites have been selected.
Tennessee's proposal centers on Oak Ridge, citing the state's longstanding nuclear research and manufacturing infrastructure, including Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Y-12 National Security Complex, the Tennessee Valley Authority's small modular reactor project at Clinch River, and more than 230 companies involved in the nuclear industry.
"As the global epicenter of nuclear energy, Tennessee is honored to be selected as a potential host for a Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus," Gov. Bill Lee said in a statement. "As our state answered the call during the Manhattan Project and helped shape the course of history, Tennessee stands ready once again to advance the safe, reliable energy solutions our nation depends on."
The five finalist states will continue working with DOE under newly signed memorandums of understanding as the department evaluates potential host sites. A timeline for selecting the final locations has not been announced.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee lands on DOE nuclear campus short list. What comes next
