Tennessee is evaluating the Department of Energy’s request for information (RFI) to host a nuclear lifecycle hub, a spokesperson said last week.
In a Feb. 9 email to Exchange Monitor, Chris O’Brien, a spokesperson for the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, said state representatives have talked with key stakeholders about the federal RFI.
DOE’s solicitation, published Jan. 28, is seeking to gauge states’ interest in hosting a nuclear lifecycle campus that could include fuel fabrication, uranium enrichment and disposal of waste. The campuses could also support a potential advanced reactor and a co-located data center.
Like the Joe Biden administration, which called its approach to waste storage, consent-based siting, the Donald Trump administration also hopes states will volunteer as part of a “collaborative” approach.
Responses for the RFI are due April 1. Thus far, of the states contacted by the Monitor, Tennessee is the only one to speak about the process at length.
Many of the initiatives within the RFI are already underway in the state of Tennessee, O’Brien said.
“As the nation’s leading state in nuclear energy, Tennessee already has plans underway to support many elements outlined in the RFI, including enrichment, fuel reprocessing and recycling and fuel fabrication,” O’Brien said.
O’Brien told the Monitor that Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) has been in contact with DOE.
“The Lee Administration is in regular communication with the DOE about the critical need for support across the entire nuclear lifecycle, and we look forward to working collaboratively on potential next steps,” O’Brien said.
In recent years Tennessee has taken an interest in nuclear power and has invested a lot into nuclear projects. East Tennessee, particularly Oak Ridge, has already become a hub-like environment for various nuclear companies and the federal government, state officials stress.