The Tennessee Valley Authority plans to work with a fusion company based in Knoxville to deploy a commercial fusion plant within a decade at an old coal-fired power plant in Tennessee.
TVA issued a letter of intent to the fusion technology Type One Energy seeking how the two entities would work together to develop a nuclear fusion energy plant at TVA’s retired Bull Run site in Clinton Tenn., according to TVA’s Sept. 19 press release.
The Bull Run Fossil Plant was a coal-fired electric generating station that could produce up to 950 megawatts. The plant started up in 1967 and ceased operations in 2023.
Type One Energy, established in 2019, has been developing a 350-megawatt power plant called Infinity Two using its stellarator fusion technology. The company completed its initial design review for the plant in May.
According to the release, the stellarator is the only fusion technology to have demonstrated “stable, steady-state operation with high efficiency” which made the company a feasible choice to TVA.
TVA and Type One Energy hope to have the fusion plant come online by the mid-2030s.
The company is working on Infinity Two using existing materials and fusion technologies to support near-term use of the technology.
The letter of intent also covers possible future use of the prototype facilities as an operator and maintenance training facility for Type One Energy’s Infinity Two workforce, according to the release.
Final decisions and agreements, including purchase power agreements, in regards to funding and the construction of Type One Energy’s fusion plant are subject to TVA board approval, regulatory review and supporting TVA’s least-cost planning processes, according to the release.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) applauded the announcement as Tennessee continues its push for nuclear power.
“Tennessee is ready-made to lead America’s energy independence, and today’s announcement further strengthens our position as a leader in safe, clean, and reliable energy,” Lee said in the release. “We are proud that the first U.S. commercial stellarator fusion project could be developed in Oak Ridge, creating high-quality jobs and driving continued economic growth and opportunity for Tennesseans.”