Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has announced the state will be investing $92.6 million across various nuclear energy initiatives during his sixth State of the State address on Monday.
During the annual joint session of Tennessee’s House and Senate, Lee proposed investing $10 million in the state’s nuclear energy fund, which was created two years ago and has attracted companies like Kairos, X Energy and Orano.
‘2025 should be the year to think bigger and to think boldly about what’s possible and go there,’ Lee said during his speech.
‘If Tennessee has led the nation as a beacon of opportunity, security and freedom, why can’t we be the nation’s capital of innovation too? Somebody is going to determine what the future looks like. That should be Tennessee.’
The governor said another $50 million should go toward the development of a small nuclear reactor on the Clinch River.
This comes several weeks after the Tennessee Valley Authority, a federally-owned energy provider, applied for an $800 million federal grant to complete the project.
‘We’ve laid the groundwork. We have a willing partner in the White House,’ Lee said. ‘Now is the time to develop the Clinch River Site and build the nation’s first small modular reactor on Tennessee soil.’
Chris Wright, President Donald Trump‘s Energy Secretary, told US Senators during his confirmation hearing that he supports nuclear energy as an alternative to fossil fuels.