Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

As you might imagine, nuclear energy occupied much of the early agenda when the Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council (TAEBC) held its annual meeting on Wednesday at Schneider Electric’s Nashville Hub which is actually located in Franklin.

After a review of the 2024 accomplishments from TAEBC Executive Director Cortney Piper, the focus of the first panel was on the nuclear industry. Two people from State Government – Brandon Gibson, Chief Operating Officer for Governor Bill Lee, and Braden Stover of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development – joined Jeff Smith, Vice President for National Labs for the University of Tennessee System, for a discussion that focused on the Tennessee Nuclear Energy Advisory Council (TNEAC).

What’s the greatest challenge to Tennessee’s leadership in the sector? Never one to mince words, Smith said “it is speed to market . . . we have to move quickly.” He added that we are not going to outspend states like Texas, but we can move faster than them.

Gibson said that Texas is following Tennessee’s lead . . . creating things like the incentive fund that will total $70 million, less already made commitments, if the General Assembly passes the Governor’s proposed budget for 2025-26. That budget also includes an additional $10 for nuclear-related workforce needs and $50 million to help the Tennessee Valley Authority locate s small modular reactor at the Clinch River site.

Smith noted that there were 20 recommendations from the TENAC that fell into five broad categories:

1. Addressing first-of-a-kind costs;
2. Growing a strong supply chain;
3. Coordinating and enhancing workforce development;
4. Improving regulatory response times; and
5. Building a coalition.

He also noted that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulates fission, but fusion oversight has been relegated to the states.

And as is the case frequently, artificial intelligence (AI) was another topic referenced.

”We are in a race for AI dominance or at least relevance,” Gibson said. “Energy is at the core of how we win that race.” Smith added that AI is providing the fuel and noted that “nuclear is important, but it is not the only answer.” That’s because AI needs are more immediate than can be addressed in the short-term by nuclear.

The concluding panel, moderated by Piper, featured a focus on Stanton, a community of 430 people that will be home to Ford’s BlueOval City scheduled to open in 2027. Three individuals discussed the impact Ford is making on the small town. They included:

1. Marianne Dunavant, Ford’s Community Relations Manager;
2. Matt Marshall, President and Chief Executive Officer of the United Way of West Tennessee; and
3. James Farmer, Director of Workplace Development for the Tennessee College of Applied Technology – Jackson which will have a facility near the plant.

Marshall noted that the investment, originally pegged at $5.6 billion, will likely grow to $11 billion and include three facilities: TCAT – Stanton, a former school being renovated as a Community Center, and the Ford Discovery Center.

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