Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

Tennessee’s advanced energy sector contributed nearly $56 billion to the state’s GDP in 2025, growing faster than the overall economy, as the Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council (TAEBC) used its annual meeting Tuesday to launch a new grid modernization initiative and map the industry’s next moves.

The newly announced Power Infrastructure Solutions Working Group will help draft market-driven policy recommendations to modernize Tennessee’s grid.

TAEBC Executive Director Cortney Piper connected the working group’s mission directly to the momentum from last week’s AI Tennessee Summit, noting that Tennessee is positioned to lead the national AI race.

“Energy infrastructure is a critical piece of seizing this moment,” Piper said. “Our members have an unmatched depth of experience to create comprehensive solutions.”

The working group will develop a formal report and policy recommendations for the state and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). Meetings will begin this spring, with an initial report due this summer and final recommendations expected by fall 2026.

Industry highlights

The meeting also featured updates from key leaders across:

• Beth Shelton, director of the State of Tennessee Division of Radiological Health, announced that first-of-its-kind fusion regulations will take effect this summer. 
• Tyler Mauldin, Google’s energy regulatory and policy affairs lead, highlighted a collaboration between Google, Kairos Power, and TVA. The partnership aims to bring up to 500 megawatts of advanced nuclear capacity online by 2035 to support significant data load growth. To provide some context, a 500 MW plant could power roughly 300,000 households.
• Braden Stover, chief policy officer at the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD), noted that his department has moved to the front lines of energy discussions due to an uptick in recruited businesses needing more energy than the state has been able to provide historically. This has resulted in multiple TVA conversations to find innovative ways to invest in infrastructure and proactive planning to stay competitive. 
• Clifton Lowry, representing TVA Planning and Investor Relations, provided a status update on the 2025 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). TVA expects to present its final IRP recommendation at the May 22 public board meeting.

2025 retrospective

The meeting ended by reflecting on a record-breaking 2025 for the state’s advanced energy sector. 

• The advanced energy sector now contributes nearly $56 billion to Tennessee’s GDP, growing faster than the state’s overall economy.
• The industry supports 420,632 jobs across 22,554 businesses, with a presence in all 95 Tennessee counties.
• Secured a $400 million DOE grant for TVA’s Clinch River SMR deployment and successfully recruited industry leaders like Kairos Power, Oklo, and Type One Energy.
• Energy startups raised $36 million and supported 500 new jobs, further accelerated by the launch of the Spark Mobility Lab.

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