(The Center Square) – A regulatory framework for nuclear fusion machines launches Tuesday in Tennessee, the first of its kind in the United States.
The rules from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation establish licensing requirements for fusion machines and related activities, according to the department.
“Tennessee has been named the top state in the nation for nuclear energy industry growth, and for good reason,” said Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Commissioner David Salyers in a statement. “This latest step supercharges our reputation as the global hub for nuclear innovation and positions us as the most responsive state to new advanced nuclear companies clamoring to call Tennessee home.”
Nuclear fusion is different from nuclear fission and does not produce long-active radioactive waste, according to the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Fusion combines two atomic nuclei to form a heavier nucleus that releases energy, the agency said.
The Tennessee regulations are ahead of the federal timetable. The comment period for a national regulatory framework for nuclear fusion closed in May, according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. A final rule is expected this year, according to the commission’s website.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee are partnering with Type One Energy, a private company building a nuclear fusion facility at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s former Bull Run coal plant, according to a January announcement.
The project is one of many located near Oak Ridge, one of the sites for the Manhattan Project, which led to the production of nuclear weapons.
The state submitted an application to the U.S. Department of Energy in April to host a Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus, Gov. Bill Lee said. In a separate action, the Energy Department awarded a $400 million grant to the Tennessee Valley Authority for the development of a small modular reactor at Clinch River in late 2025.
Tennessee has had great success in nuclear energy, with global brands investing in the state, said Stuart McWhorter, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, in an interview with The Center Square.
“You’ve got a community that has knowledge, understanding, respect around new nuclear, in particular,” McWhorter said. “What we’ve heard from so many company CEOs is that what makes Tennessee so attractive right now is you’ve got leadership at the local level and a community that’s accepting this renaissance. And from a workforce perspective, from a knowledge and expertise perspective, and again, this is decades of being in a position of where we are, that we’ve just seen some really good success in our state around nuclear energy.”
