Tennessee has greenlit a nuclear energy development plan that will continue to strengthen energy independence in the United States and support local economic growth.
As reported by WBIR, Gov. Bill Lee announced that "Project IKE" would move forward in Oak Ridge thanks to a partnership with Orano USA, whose global headquarters is in Paris.
"Tennessee is the No. 1 state for nuclear energy companies to invest and thrive, and we are proud to partner with Orano to lead America's energy independence and drive continued economic growth and greater opportunity for Tennesseans," Lee said in a statement. Oak Ridge is also home to the Department of Energy's world-renowned Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
The governor added that Orano "specializes in uranium mining/conversion/enrichment, used nuclear fuel management and recycling, decommissioning shutdown nuclear energy facilities, federal site clean-up and closure and developing nuclear medicines to fight cancer."
In Oak Ridge, the company will break ground on a multibillion-dollar uranium enrichment facility. As the company explains, this process is needed to create fuel for nuclear reactors. Not only will the project support a clean energy transition, but it will also create around 305 new jobs in Roane County, including in management, security, maintenance, and engineering.
According to Orano, the Oak Ridge project is dubbed "Project IKE" in reference to former U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower, who advocated for atomic power to be used peacefully for public good.
Daniel Dassow of the Knoxville News Sentinel suggested that the momentous investment could be a significant historical milestone — as the enriched uranium will be produced for commercial purposes to provide low-cost, clean energy rather than destructive weapons, as was the case in the Manhattan Project. Pollution from dirty fuels is linked to millions of yearly premature deaths.
"Orano USA's selection of Oak Ridge for its U.S. uranium enrichment plant heralds a new historical development: the second Manhattan Project," Dassow wrote. "On land that has belonged to the Department of Energy since World War II, Orano USA will restart Oak Ridge's enrichment capabilities, this time for a much different competition."
That public health danger with premature deaths associated with energy sources such as coal and natural gas — even setting climate risks aside — is why proponents such as Robert Hayes, an associate professor of nuclear engineering at North Carolina State University, say that nuclear energy is "one of the safest forms of energy that's out there." NASA has estimated that "nuclear power prevented an average of over 1.8 million net deaths worldwide between 1971-2009."
That said, the Union of Concerned Scientists generally advises against further development of nuclear power, especially newer and less tested forms of reactors, which this Oak Ridge project may end up supporting.
Instead, climate-minded critics of nuclear — such as Amory Lovins, adjunct professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University — say any dollar spent on nuclear could be a dollar better spent on modern renewable energy projects such as solar, wind, and wave power.
Orano estimates that the 750,000-square-foot project — the largest of its kind in North America — could commence operations in the early 2030s.
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