OAK RIDGE, Tenn. (WVLT) – Oak Ridge-based nuclear fuel company TRISO-X plans to create 1,140 new jobs through a major expansion project in Roane County, according to an announcement Wednesday from Governor Bill Lee and Tennessee economic development officials.
The company will construct a new nuclear fuel manufacturing facility and a research and development center at the Horizon Center Industrial Park. Officials said the project is expected to involve hundreds of millions of dollars in investment, although the final scope remains under development.
TRISO-X currently employs more than 250 people in the Oak Ridge area. Company leaders said the expansion will occur in phases and significantly increase employment opportunities throughout East Tennessee.
“These facilities jointly will provide an additional 1,100 jobs to the community,” said Jason Hatfield, vice president and chief of staff at TRISO-X. “These jobs will range from custodians, manufacturing workers, engineers, scientists, professionals of all kinds to support the broader community.”
Construction Already Underway
The company’s new research and development facility is already under construction and is expected to be completed during the first half of 2027.
TRISO-X officials said the first fuel production facility is projected to begin operations during the first half of 2028.
The expansion is expected to strengthen Oak Ridge’s position as a national center for advanced nuclear energy development and fuel production.
Supporting Localized Energy Needs
Hatfield said the advanced reactors powered by TRISO-X fuel are designed to serve local communities and businesses that need reliable energy generation close to where it will be used.
“Our reactors will be largely used by communities to provide power to homes, as well as companies which need localized power,” Hatfield said.
He said one advantage of the technology is the ability to deploy reactors closer to consumers, reducing dependence on long-distance power transmission infrastructure.
“The benefit of our reactors is that they can be deployed where they’re needed to support individual needs of municipalities, cities, states and companies,” Hatfield said.
Fuel Transportation Safety
As the nuclear industry continues to grow, questions often arise regarding transportation of nuclear materials.
Hatfield said nuclear fuel transportation has a long record of safe operation across the United States.
“For many decades now, nuclear fuel has been transported over the road from nuclear fuel producers to nuclear reactors,” Hatfield said. “Transporting this nuclear fuel is very, very safe.”
He added that the company’s fuel design includes additional safety features that help minimize transportation concerns.
Growing Tennessee’s Nuclear Industry
TRISO-X is a wholly owned subsidiary of Maryland-based X-energy, but the company was founded and remains headquartered in Oak Ridge.
In 2022, TRISO-X broke ground on what was then considered North America’s first commercial advanced nuclear fuel facility.
The company also became the first organization to receive a Nuclear Regulatory Commission license to construct and operate a commercial-scale facility producing High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) fuel in the United States.
The project also marks another investment supported by Tennessee’s Nuclear Energy Fund. TRISO-X is the ninth company to utilize the initiative.
The state fund has received $95 million in total funding since its creation, including an initial $50 million proposed by Governor Lee and additional appropriations approved during legislative sessions in 2024, 2025 and 2026.
State leaders say the investment reinforces Tennessee’s growing role in advanced nuclear technology, energy research and high-skilled manufacturing.
