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Lee proposes more state funding for nuclear innovation, backs Clinch River reactor site and TVA federal grant application
Summary
Governor Bill Lee proposed expanding Tennessee’s nuclear energy investments, asking for $10 million more for the state nuclear energy fund and $50 million toward developing the Clinch River site after TVA applied for an $800 million federal grant.
Governor Bill Lee used his State of the State address to press Tennessee’s push into advanced nuclear energy, proposing additional state investments and pointing to private-sector interest and a federal grant application by the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Lee said the state will propose an additional $10,000,000 investment in the state’s nuclear energy fund and that the governor’s budget includes $50,000,000 “to demonstrate the state's commitment” to development of the Clinch River site, where TVA has applied for an $800,000,000 federal grant. He told the joint convention that “Now is the time to develop the Clinch River site and build the first small modular reactor in the nation on Tennessee soil.”
The governor cited private companies working in East Tennessee — naming Kairos, X-Energy and Arano — and said those firms and others have “grabbed the attention of America's most cutting edge energy companies.” He argued the state must secure energy supply to sustain economic development: “Economic development stops. Job creation stops if we don't have energy.”
Lee framed nuclear investment as part of Tennessee’s role in national energy security and economic recruitment but did not provide legislative language or a funding schedule in the speech record. The governor’s remarks referenced the TVA federal grant application and proposed state funding in the budget; further approvals at the federal and TVA levels would be required for project advancement.
