Type One Energy funds Claxton community improvements
Long before it hopes to build a nuclear fusion power plant in Claxton, Type One Energy is already investing in the community through donations supporting local recreation projects.
The company, which plans to build a fusion power plant at the former Bull Run Fossil Plant site by 2035, has made two donations of undisclosed amounts. One helped the Optimist Club of Claxton replace the roof and gutters on the Claxton Community Center at 1071 Edgemoor Road. The other went to Anderson County to help develop a new community park to replace the former Kids Palace playground.
The Tennessee Valley Authority closed and later demolished the Kids Palace playground. The new park is intended to help replace that recreational space for the Claxton community.
New claxton park
Type One presented its donation for the proposed Claxton Community Park on June 1 to Anderson County Conservation Board officials, Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank and Parks Director Ben Taylor. Neither the county nor the company has disclosed the donation amount.
The contribution follows an earlier $250,000 donation from the Tennessee Valley Authority for the project.
“We are so thankful for this generous contribution toward the creation of our new Claxton park,” Anderson County Conservation Board Chair Denise Palmer said in a county news release. “Type One Energy’s investment in this project reflects a strong commitment to our community and will provide Anderson County with another great space for families to gather and play.”
Following the closure and demolition of the Kids Palace playground, the Anderson County Conservation Board conducted a community survey from Nov. 25, 2025, through Jan. 31, 2026. The survey received 476 responses identifying desired amenities and features for a replacement park. The county has not yet announced where the park will be located.
“We are so appreciative of Type One Energy’s very generous donation,” Frank said in the news release. “This contribution toward new park amenities will be put to good use enhancing the quality of life for the residents of the Claxton community and Anderson County.”
Community center improvements
The Optimist Club of Claxton used Type One’s donation to pay contractors to replace the roof and gutters on the Claxton Community Center, allowing the building to continue serving the community even after the neighboring playground was removed.
The club maintains the building and rents it for birthday parties, family reunions, community events, folk dances and other gatherings. Club member and Anderson County Commissioner Tracy Wandell announced completion of the repairs in an April 3 Facebook post.
“We know that this center has been around for a long time,” Type One Energy Community Partnership Lead Andrea Schneibel said. “It’s very important to the community, so we wanted to chip in.”
Type One also used the community center for an open house on May 9, displaying models of its proposed facility and answering residents’ questions.
“We had a tarp on forever,” Wandell said, estimating it had covered the building for six to eight months before repairs were completed.
Although TVA closed the nearby Kids Palace playground, Wandell said the agency has no plans for the community center.
“They checked internally and made sure that there’s no plans for this building in the future,” he said, noting that several groups continue to use the facility.
He added that the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers baseball field remains open and is overseen by Optimist Club President Chuck Chandler.
“We just want to keep it available for community use,” Wandell said.
He also said Anderson County inmates, supervised by Anderson County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Shain Vowell, maintain the grounds by mowing the grass.
Looking ahead
Type One is currently conducting testing at the former Bull Run Fossil Plant. The company hopes to build a commercial fusion power plant there by 2035 to provide electricity to customers on the Tennessee Valley Authority grid.
Unlike today’s nuclear power plants, which generate electricity by splitting atoms, fusion power produces energy by combining atoms. Although no company has yet successfully generated commercial electricity through nuclear fusion, Type One aims to become one of the first.
Wandell also praised Type One’s May event that gave students from Oak Ridge High School, Anderson County High School and the Anderson County Career and Technical Center a tour of the Bull Run facility.
“It’s encouraging to see a company coming in like this, Type One Energy, to kind of put some air underneath our wings,” Wandell said. “We’ve had a lot of things being taken away or not being built, but it’s good to see and it’s encouraging to see something coming in that’s going to help build up our community with jobs and investments, and we’re excited about it.”
