The state of Tennessee, the United Kingdom and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) have agreed to work together on bringing commercial fusion energy online.
According to the Monday announcement, the three entities will collaborate to work on fusion supply chain needs, workforce development and a regulatory pathway that could scale up the technology. This will include developing a fusion fuel cycle that deals with tritium, lithium and other nuclear materials needed for the fusion technology, according to the TVA press release.
The Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the UK Atomic Energy Authority, universities and other research institutions will exchange scientific and technical information within the partnership, TVA said.
“Fusion is moving out of the laboratory and into the market, and Tennessee is ready-made to lead the way,” Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) said in the release. “Our strong supply chains, skilled workforce, reliable regulatory framework and partnerships with Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Tennessee Valley Authority position our state to make commercial fusion a reality..”
The Monday announcement between the three entities comes weeks after Tennessee issued the nation’s first fusion license to Knoxville, Tenn.-based Type One Energy, which is working with TVA to deploy its fusion technology. It also builds on Type One’s existing fusion interest in the UK. In May, Type One, along with Tokamak Energy and AECOM, formed a consortium to develop a private-sector-led fusion power plant in the UK.