TRISO-X announced on July 15, 2026, that it will expand operations at the Horizon Center Industrial Park in Roane County, Tennessee, by constructing a new fuel facility and research and development center. The company plans to create 1,140 new jobs in Oak Ridge and invest hundreds of millions of dollars in the project, according to the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development.
What it means
The expansion adds capacity for TRISO-X, a wholly owned subsidiary of Maryland-based X-energy, which was the first company licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to construct and operate a commercial-scale facility for producing High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) fuel in the United States. The new facilities are located at a Select Tennessee Certified Site. TRISO-X broke ground in 2022 on its initial advanced nuclear fuel facility, which was then described as North America’s first commercial advanced nuclear fuel facility. The announcement follows NRC licensing and aims to allow development of advanced small modular reactors, accelerate commercialization of advanced nuclear technologies, and strengthen the U.S. supply chain for critical nuclear fuel.
The announcement comes as TRISO-X becomes the ninth company to utilize funding from Tennessee’s Nuclear Energy Fund. The fund was included in Gov. Bill Lee’s recommended 2023-2024 budget, approved by the Tennessee General Assembly with an initial $50 million allocation. Additional appropriations of $45 million were approved during the 2024, 2025, and 2026 legislative sessions, bringing the total Nuclear Energy Fund to $95 million since its inception. Gov. Bill Lee said Oak Ridge represents the frontier of American energy independence and cutting-edge research, noting the announcement brings more than 1,000 new high-quality job opportunities. Deputy Gov. and TNECD Commissioner Stuart C. McWhorter said Tennessee is playing a critical role in advancing America’s energy independence through the fund, which he said strengthens the state’s nuclear ecosystem.
Key facts
- 1,140 new jobs planned for Oak Ridge, Tennessee
- Hundreds of millions of dollars in anticipated investment by TRISO-X
- New fuel facility and research and development center at Horizon Center Industrial Park, Roane County
- TRISO-X is a subsidiary of X-energy, Inc.
- Ninth company to utilize Tennessee’s Nuclear Energy Fund
- $95 million total in Nuclear Energy Fund appropriations since inception
- Initial facility groundbreaking occurred in 2022
Source: Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development news release