Radiant announced October 13, 2025, that it will build a nuclear manufacturing and research-and-development facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, investing $280 million and creating 175 jobs in Roane County. The facility will support development and mass production of the Kaleidos, which Radiant describes as the world’s first one-megawatt portable nuclear generator. Gov. Bill Lee, TNECD Commissioner Stuart C. McWhorter, and Radiant officials made the announcement in Oak Ridge. Radiant Chief Operating Officer Tori Shivanandan said the company plans to begin building “in just a few months.”
What it means
The Oak Ridge facility will add domestic manufacturing capacity for a portable nuclear generator designed to supply power in remote areas, on military bases, and in disaster-relief scenarios. Shivanandan cited Oak Ridge’s workforce, nuclear heritage, and regulatory certainty as reasons for the site selection, saying those factors allow the company to “move fast and be up and running to meet growing customer demand.”
Radiant is the sixth company to locate in Tennessee using the state’s Nuclear Energy Fund, a program that originated in Gov. Lee’s recommended 2023–2024 budget and was approved by the Tennessee General Assembly with an initial $50 million. The General Assembly added $10 million in each of the 2024 and 2025 legislative sessions, bringing the fund’s total to $70 million. TNECD Commissioner McWhorter noted that Radiant’s project is the third nuclear investment the department has announced since September 2025.
Key facts
- Investment: $280 million (according to the company)
- Jobs: 175 new positions in Roane County (according to the company)
- Location: Oak Ridge, Tennessee (Roane County)
- Product: Kaleidos portable nuclear generator, rated at 1 megawatt
- Construction start: “in just a few months,” per Radiant COO Tori Shivanandan
- Radiant is the 6th company to utilize Tennessee’s Nuclear Energy Fund
- Nuclear Energy Fund total: $70 million since inception ($50 million initial; $10 million added in 2024; $10 million added in 2025)
- Radiant’s project is the 3rd nuclear project TNECD has announced since September 2025
Source: Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) news release