3 days ago
New uranium enrichment facility to bring nuclear advancement to Oak Ridge
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. (WATE) — Governor Bill Lee and Senator Marsha Blackburn were in East Tennessee Thursday, celebrating a new multi-billion dollar uranium enrichment facility that is coming to Oak Ridge.
The development is called Project IKE, and is set to bring one of the largest uranium enrichment facilities in the country to an area already well-known for its contributions to nuclear power. State and local leaders joined the Orano group as they announced they will be opening offices in the area and will soon begin construction on the new facility.
'In my opinion, Orano will continue to add to the legacy of greatness and accomplishments, not only in Oak Ridge, but in our state,' said Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch.
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Local leaders like Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank said this will put Oak Ridge back on the map
'In terms of what it means for our area, it just means prosperity, increased growth, a lot of good things for the people who live and work here,' said Frank.
While the development will bring over 300 jobs to Oak Ridge and its surrounding counties, state leaders stressed how it will also help meet America's need for more nuclear energy.
'America is learning that we are staring down the barrel of an energy crisis in this country, that is in part being created, in a good way, because of the advancement of AI technology,' said Governor Bill Lee. 'We cannot afford to lose the war, and in order to do that, we cannot afford to lose the energy battle, and in order to win that battle, we have to be leaders in the nuclear energy going forward.'
Leaders like Governor Lee and Senator Marsha Blackburn said companies like Orano will push the US in the right direction.
'Because of what we have with Oak Ridge and with TVA, there is no excuse for us not to lead the way,' said Blackburn.
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With this new uranium enrichment facility, Frank added it will be an investment not only in nuclear energy, but also in the community it is built in.
'Its drawing national attention, It's drawn international attention, other companies are saying, you know what? We need to take another look here,' she said. 'We're getting more locations, a lot of industry interest, so it's really been a spark.'
While the event was for the opening of the offices in Anderson County, the uranium enrichment center will be located in Roane County.
According to Orano, operations at the facility won't start for a while, but they say they could begin in the early 2030's.
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