Orano announces new 40-person office in Oak Ridge
It is expected to grow to 300 employees.
A lot of dignitaries turned out on Thursday for the official announcement of Orano USA’s new office in Oak Ridge. They included Governor Bill Lee, U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn, U.S. Congressmen Chuck Fleischmann and Tim Burchett, and several state legislators.
Held at 10 a.m. EDT before the 30th anniversary edition of the Tennessee Valley Corridor’s National Summit opened at 1 p.m., the nearly one-hour event commemorated the company’s plans to open what will be an initial 40-person office that will grow to 300 people.
More than that, however, it was a celebration of the new nuclear opportunities that are centered in the Volunteer State generally and the Oak Ridge region specifically.
Commissioner Stuart McWhorter of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development said that Orano’s decision to locate operations in the Secret City had opened the floodgates with $15 billion in potential projects that would involve as many as 2,000 new jobs.
“The U.S. is watching what is happening in Tennessee and Oak Ridge,” the Commissioner added.
That theme of nuclear leadership was repeated by others during the event.
* Congressman Fleischmann noted, “It’s our time at the plate. We need to hit a home run.”
* Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch said, “Oak Ridge was created to be great, not average.”
* Governor Lee added, “We cannot afford to lose the AI (artificial intelligence) war, and that starts with energy availability, specifically nuclear.”
Jean-Luc Palayer, President and Chief Executive Officer of Orano USA, presided at the event, noting that Orano USA is one of the oldest nuclear companies in America.
Citing the recent executive orders issued by President Donald Trump, he added, “That future starts here in Oak Ridge and Tennessee.”
Palayer concluded the event with this observation: “We can lead in AI only if we can power it.”
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