NRC Approves New Nuclear Fuel Plant in Oak Ridge, TN
Published Date: 2/13/2026
Notice
Summary
TRISO-X, LLC wants to build a new fuel factory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, to make special nuclear fuel using low enriched uranium. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has finished studying the environmental effects and says it’s safe to move forward. This means local communities and the energy industry could see new jobs and investments starting soon.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
NRC Recommends 40-Year HALEU License
The NRC staff's final recommendation is to issue a 40-year license to TRISO-X to possess and use special nuclear material to manufacture high-assay low enriched uranium (HALEU) fuel using uranium enriched to less than 20 weight percent U-235. The proposed fabrication operation would be a first-of-its-kind facility in the United States at the 110-acre Horizon Center site in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
Final EIS Posted for Oak Ridge Site
The NRC published the final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) on February 12, 2026, for a proposed fuel fabrication facility on a 110-acre site at the Horizon Center in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. You can read the FEIS online in ADAMS under Accession No. ML26033A130 or review a copy at the Oak Ridge Public Library (1401 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak Ridge, TN 37830).
EIS Assesses Construction, Operation, Decommissioning
The final EIS evaluates the potential environmental impacts of constructing, operating, and decommissioning the TRISO-X fuel fabrication facility, and also analyzes the no-action alternative. The NRC's staff prepared the analysis after reviewing TRISO-X materials, public comments, and communications with Federal, State, local, and Tribal officials.
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