French company to invest $5B, create 300 jobs
A French company plans to invest more than $5 billion to build a facility in Oak Ridge to enrich uranium, an enterprise expected to generate more than 300 new jobs, state and regional government leaders announced last week.
Orano USA, based in Bethesda, Maryland, has selected the Roane County part of Oak Ridge “as the preferred site to construct a new, multi-billion-dollar, state-of-the-art centrifuge uranium enrichment facility,” the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development said in a statement.
The project “represents the single-largest [industrial] investment in Tennessee history,” the ECD statement said.
“The uranium enrichment center will be a multi-structure commercial-production site covering approximately 750,000 square feet, making it one of the largest in North America,” the ECD said.
Although the site is on the Roane County side of the city, the jobs likely will be filled mostly by Anderson County residents.
“Oak Ridge is now back in business enriching uranium,” said Andy Wallace, president of the Anderson County Economic Development Agency.
Global headquarters of Orano is in Paris, France. Orano is a leading technology and services provider for the commercial and federal nuclear industries.
“The company 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,” the ECD said.
Orano will be the second company to locate in Tennessee utilizing the state’s newly created Nuclear Energy Fund, which was set up to help nuclear energy-related businesses to relocate or expand in the state, and to support the state’s universities and research institutions in further developing their nuclear-education programs.
The $50 million fund, included in Gov. Bill Lee’s recommended 2023-2024 budget, was approved last year by the General Assembly. An additional $10 million was allocated for the fund in the current fiscal year’s budget, approved earlier this year.
The Orano project “was vetted and recommended by the Education and Workforce subgroup, part of the 22-member Tennessee Nuclear Energy Advisory Council,” the ECD announcement said.
“Our administration created the Nuclear Energy Fund in partnership with the Tennessee General Assembly to support and expand the state’s nuclear ecosystem, and in the last six months, we’ve announced four pro-jects that will further strengthen Tennessee’s position as a leader in safe, clean and reliable energy for the future,” Lee said in conjunction with the announcement.
“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.
“Since the days of the Manhattan Project, Oak Ridge has played a vital role in advancing nuclear innovation and supporting the nuclear industry in the U.S. and the world,” said Oak Ridge Mayor Warren L. Gooch.
“As we welcome Orano to Oak Ridge, we understand our new role in contributing toward a carbon-free, energy future,” he said. “This goal cannot be accomplished without uranium enrichment, and Orano has proven itself to be a world leader in the industry. Orano will help us build out the supply chain for additional industries, while creating good paying jobs for Oak Ridgers.”
The Tennessee Valley Authority also gave praise to the project.
“TVA believes nuclear energy must be a part of our regional and national drive toward a clean-energy future, and the state of Tennessee is leading the way,” TVA President and CEO Jeff Lyash said.
“East Tennessee’s status as a nuclear-technologies incubator is made possible through partnerships [among] TVA, the Department of Energy, state and local economic development agencies, elected officials and innovative companies like Orano,” he said.
“Working together, we will advance nuclear technologies that are crucial to supporting not only energy security, but also national security,” Lyash said.
