Oak Ridge pauses airport plans due to Orano project
City Manager Randy Hemann talks to government af- fairs and information services director Amy Fitzgerald after an Oak Ridge City Council meeting. (photo:Ben Pounds )
An official city news release stated the city is looking at possible other sites instead of its original one for the airport because of Orano, USA’s plans to build a more than $5 billion uranium enrichment facility near the site the city had been considering.
“The state and the city have pledged to work together on the possible relocation of the airport to accommodate one of the largest single economic investments in the history of the state of Tennessee,” Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch said in the release.
“We are committed to evaluate available options to determine the optimal path forward,” he said.
Lauren Gray, city communications specialist, told The Courier News the city hasn’t named any alternative locations yet.
The city of Oak Ridge took control of the airport project in 2020.
While the official news release described the city pausing and reevaluating where to put the project, City Manager Randy Hemann still described the airport as a good idea for the city.
“Given the influx of Orano, Kairos Power, and many other nuclear companies locating to Oak Ridge, the city believes an airport is crucial to support the new nuclear industry,” he said.
“These companies have chosen to locate in Oak Ridge due to the support of the state of Tennessee as well as the existing nuclear ecosystem of research provided by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the current and growing talent pipeline, and the many existing industries that provide for needs ranging from manufacturing to specialized transportation,” he said.
The city acquired 122 acres, and the state of Tennessee invested more than $11 million in the airport project to date to help the city acquire property.
Kendahl Moore, assistant to the city manager, said the city can still use these funds, for now.
He said the airport’s sponsors, including the Tennessee Department of Transportation and Appalachian Regional Commission, will support looking at new sites.
At present, there is no public airport in Anderson County.