TVA and Type One Energy Sign First Contracts for Fusion Power Plant Project
'TVA Power Service Shops have a long, storied history and we look forward to being part of this initiative,' said Doug Keeling, TVA's Vice President for the PSS.
With these contracts, Project Infinity will include participation by one of the region's leading industrial technology centers. The TVA PSS draws on almost a century of expertise in power generation component overhaul and repair techniques to aid in developing practical welding processes and fabrication methods for the world's first commercial fusion power plant project. They exercise the economic engagement of the Tennessee Valley and its workforce in creating the future of energy.
Developing a commercially viable fusion power plant requires not only the uniquely stable, steady-state, and efficient operating characteristics of stellarator technology, but also the broad manufacturing, construction, and operating experience of the power generation industry.
'I have seen TVA's capabilities from my previous work with them in the nuclear and hydro power sectors,' said Mark Ruis, Type One Energy's Vice President for Stellarator Maintenance and Inspection Solutions. 'Their PSS facilities, and highly skilled workforce which repairs and refurbishes some of the most challenging components in the power industry, will significantly derisk our ability to deliver Infinity One and Infinity Two.'
The ability for Project Infinity to deliver near-term economic benefit for the Tennessee Valley is being demonstrated by the work which will begin immediately as a result of these contracts with Type One Energy.
'TVA Power Service Shops have a long, storied history and we look forward to being part of this initiative,' said Doug Keeling, TVA's Vice President for the PSS.
The advanced manufacturing contracts with PSS are one aspect of the quick pace of activities surrounding deployment of Infinity One at TVA's retired Bull Run Fossil Plant in Clinton, TN. Engineering and construction work to prepare the facility for assembly of Infinity One is underway by a team of TVA and Type One Energy employees.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Wire
a day ago
- Business Wire
Pivotal Manufacturing Partners Acquires 140 Acres at Phipps Bend in Northeast Tennessee, Plans Development of The Phipps Bend Advanced Manufacturing & Technology Campus Anchored by Highland Materials
NEW YORK & JOHNSON CITY, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Pivotal Manufacturing Partners ('Pivotal'), a real estate investment platform focused on advanced manufacturing and energy infrastructure, announced today the acquisition of approximately 140 acres of land at the former planned Phipps Bend Nuclear Plant in Hawkins County, Tennessee. In tandem, Pivotal executed a long-term ground lease with Highland Materials ('Highland'), a next-generation polysilicon manufacturer, who plans to develop a world-class, $1 billion+ advanced manufacturing facility on a portion of the site. The broader property—the Phipps Bend Advanced Manufacturing & Technology Campus—is planned as a high-power, heavy infrastructure destination designed to support mission critical operators requiring scale, high-power infrastructure, flexible zoning, and streamlined execution. The campus offers direct on-site access to a major TVA-owned regional transmission interconnect, the primary regional power distribution hub for Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia, and benefits from a nuclear-industrial historical overlay and development-friendly permitting environment. 'We are honored to be investing behind the growth of Northeast Tennessee at such a unique site at Phipps Bend. This campus combines striking mission critical infrastructure, a rare high-voltage interconnect, and a permitting environment shaped by its nuclear legacy – all within a region eager to welcome transformational capital investment,' said David Robbins, Managing Partner of Pivotal Manufacturing Partners. 'We are proud to be partnering with Highland Materials to advance their planned facility and look forward to continuing to work with all of our local partners as Phipps Bend emerges as a premier destination for this next generation high-power industrial renaissance.' Originally developed by the TVA in the late 1970s as a nuclear power facility, the Phipps Bend site saw over $2.6 billion in federal investment before the project was canceled in the early 1980s prior to completion after the Three Mile Island incident. While no reactors were ever brought online, the site retains a powerful legacy: significant utility infrastructure, a strategic location within the TVA transmission network, and a regional development mindset rooted in energy-intensive industry. Today, those attributes provide a differentiated foundation for advanced manufacturing and critical technology operations. Highland Materials is a U.S.-based manufacturer of high-purity polysilicon, a critical material used in both the solar and semiconductor supply chains. The company is developing a next-generation production platform designed to meet rising domestic and international demand for such critical technologies. Highland selected Phipps Bend for its exceptional power infrastructure, strategic location within the TVA region, and development-ready environment capable of supporting large-scale, high-precision manufacturing. 'Partnering with Pivotal Manufacturing Partners is a critical step needed to move the Highland polysilicon manufacturing facility forward at Phipps Bend' said Richard Rast, CEO of Highland Materials. 'We are excited about the market opportunity, the job creation, the capital investment, and the continued community and state level support this project enjoys.' Pivotal and Highland are working closely with local, regional, and federal stakeholders—including Hawkins County, the Tennessee Valley Authority, Holston Electric Cooperative, and the State of Tennessee—to deliver infrastructure, incentives, and economic development to support both near-term and long-term phases of the campus. About Pivotal Manufacturing Partners Pivotal Manufacturing Partners ('Pivotal') is a real estate investment platform built to support the rapidly growing reshoring trend in U.S. advanced manufacturing and critical technologies. The firm's focus is to invest directly at the intersection of power and real estate - acquiring, developing, and managing large-scale industrial properties with the advanced infrastructure needed to support power-intensive manufacturing processes. The Pivotal platform combines an institutional approach with a long-term oriented view to act decisively, generate compelling risk adjusted returns for their partners, and critically focus on investing in assets poised to benefit from long-term megatrends in reshoring, technological innovation, the scarcity value of power, and the next generation industrial renaissance. About Highland Materials Highland Materials is a manufacturer of purified polysilicon and aluminum/silicon alloys. Supported by a world class management team. Highland Materials is positioned to be a major U.S. supplier of ultra-pure polysilicon, to the PV market, the battery silicon anode markets, as well as other industries. The Company has a unique, patent protected silicon purification technology that enables Highland to produce high purity material with 50% reduction in capital cost, a 40% reduction in operating costs, less than half the electric power, and a 90% reduction in carbon emissions compared to other major manufacturers.
Business Wire
22-07-2025
- Business Wire
TVA and Type One Energy Sign First Contracts for Fusion Power Plant Project
KNOXVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and Type One Energy announced today that they had signed the first set of commercial contracts related to Project Infinity, which is developing fusion power plant technology to supply the Tennessee Valley with secure, reliable, and clean energy by as early as the mid-2030s. TVA, through its Power Service Shops (PSS) facility in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and with support from other locations, will assist in the development of tailored welding and fabrication techniques for Project Infinity. These manufacturing and construction methods will be used for the Type One Energy Infinity One stellarator fusion machine currently being deployed at TVA's Bull Run Fossil Plant near Knoxville, TN. They are also intended for the potential subsequent TVA fusion power plant project, which utilizes Type One Energy's Infinity Two stellarator technology. 'TVA Power Service Shops have a long, storied history and we look forward to being part of this initiative,' said Doug Keeling, TVA's Vice President for the PSS. With these contracts, Project Infinity will include participation by one of the region's leading industrial technology centers. The TVA PSS draws on almost a century of expertise in power generation component overhaul and repair techniques to aid in developing practical welding processes and fabrication methods for the world's first commercial fusion power plant project. They exercise the economic engagement of the Tennessee Valley and its workforce in creating the future of energy. Developing a commercially viable fusion power plant requires not only the uniquely stable, steady-state, and efficient operating characteristics of stellarator technology, but also the broad manufacturing, construction, and operating experience of the power generation industry. 'I have seen TVA's capabilities from my previous work with them in the nuclear and hydro power sectors,' said Mark Ruis, Type One Energy's Vice President for Stellarator Maintenance and Inspection Solutions. 'Their PSS facilities, and highly skilled workforce which repairs and refurbishes some of the most challenging components in the power industry, will significantly derisk our ability to deliver Infinity One and Infinity Two.' The ability for Project Infinity to deliver near-term economic benefit for the Tennessee Valley is being demonstrated by the work which will begin immediately as a result of these contracts with Type One Energy. 'TVA Power Service Shops have a long, storied history and we look forward to being part of this initiative,' said Doug Keeling, TVA's Vice President for the PSS. The advanced manufacturing contracts with PSS are one aspect of the quick pace of activities surrounding deployment of Infinity One at TVA's retired Bull Run Fossil Plant in Clinton, TN. Engineering and construction work to prepare the facility for assembly of Infinity One is underway by a team of TVA and Type One Energy employees.
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Yahoo
Federal utility backs off Tennessee gas plant site after John Rich says he enlisted Trump's help
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The nation's largest public utility says it is looking at other sites for a new natural gas power plant after its preferred location in Tennessee drew heavy public scrutiny, including from country musician John Rich. The Tennessee Valley Authority announced Tuesday that the Cheatham County site is no longer its preferred one. Rich, a conservative supporter of President Donald Trump who has Cheatham County roots, has been a key opponent of TVA's 900-megawatt plant in the county. He said he enlisted Donald Trump to team up on the issue. A TVA spokesperson declined to comment about Rich's comments, including whether Trump was involved. A White House spokesperson also declined to comment. The community has raised concerns about the potential impact on water quality, air quality, noise pollution, safety, property rights and more, in a rural area that also has homes and schools nearby. Clean energy and environmental groups have also led resistance to the proposal. Rich said Trump and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins 'joined forces with me and all the residents of Cheatham County.' 'They pulled out under threat,' Rich said about TVA in a social media post Tuesday. "They pulled out because they're afraid President Trump is going to fire every member on that board.' Based on feedback, the federal utility says it is considering a site at a nearby industrial park and other Middle Tennessee locations. Additionally, it floated options such as working with the Trump administration to extend the use of some fossil fuel plants. The utility has been planning to retire the last of its coal-fired plants by 2035. But Trump has signed executive orders aimed at boosting the coal industry. Power from the proposed Cheatham plant was intended to replace some of the electricity from the second unit of the coal-fired Cumberland Fossil Plant, which had been planned for retirement in 2028 but is now among the coal units being evaluated for potentially longer life. The site that sparked opposition includes the power plant and a battery storage system on 286 acres in Cheatham County, in addition to a 12-mile natural gas pipeline and up to 45 miles of transmission lines to the project. Rich last week posted a map showing many areas of farmland around the preferred area, saying it 'CANNOT happen.' Rollins, the agriculture secretary, replied, 'ON IT' and 'Standby.' Rich additionally has called for a 'complete revamping' of TVA, saying, 'Cheatham County ain't the only place they're doing this.' Any final decision on the plant would need to await the installation of more TVA board members. Trump recently announced four nominees for the board, which for months has not had enough members to take many actions because Trump fired some of former President Joe Biden's picks. TVA provides power to more than 10 million people across seven southern states. The board normally has nine members and requires five to make a quorum. It currently has three. Trump's picks would not be seated until the U.S. Senate confirms them. Clean energy advocates applauded TVA's decision to back off the Cheatham County location, but said it should instead invest more in clean energy options and heed the concern of communities where similar gas plants are proposed in Cumberland City, Kingston and Memphis. 'Instead of simply shifting those harmful impacts to another area, TVA should scrap its plans for a new gas plant altogether and invest in clean and cost-effective power options, like solar power and battery storage,' said Trey Bussey, a staff attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center. Solve the daily Crossword
