Tennessee to invest $92.6 MILLION into state nuclear energy programs

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced on Monday during his sixth State of the State address that the state will invest $92.6 million into various nuclear programs for energy. This comes as critics have said that the state has some of the lowest wages in the nation. The nuclear programs could counteract that figure.

According to the Daily Mail, Lee said that $10 million should go to the state's nuclear energy fund. Tennessee's nuclear energy fund was launched around two years ago and as a result, energy companies such as Kairos, X Energy, and others have made their way to the state.

During the State of the State speech, Lee said that 2025 will be the year "to think bigger and to think boldly about what’s possible" regarding innovation. "If Tennessee has led the nation as a beacon of opportunity, security and freedom, why can’t we be the nation’s capital of innovation too? Somebody is going to determine what the future looks like. That should be Tennessee," he added.

Lee commented in the speech that around $50 million will be used to construct a nuclear reactor on the Clinch River. "We’ve laid the groundwork. We have a willing partner in the White House," Lee added. "Now is the time to develop the Clinch River Site and build the nation’s first small modular reactor on Tennessee soil."

The governor said that $10 million will go to fund workforce education programs for those who are studying nuclear energy and that $2.6 million will be put towards a regulatory framework of the energy projects.

Tennessee has one of the lowest median household incomes in the nation, just below $67,100. Wages connected to the energy projects may be able to raise the income of those in the state. The Tennessee Valley Authority has applied for a grant for $800 million for the river project. In addition to this, Chris Wright, President Donald Trump's Energy Secretary, said in his confirmation hearing that he is in support of nuclear energy.

Wright said in his Senate hearing, "To compete globally, we must expand energy production, including commercial nuclear and liquefied natural gas, and cut the cost of energy for Americans." Wright is also the CEO of Liberty Energy. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also said in his hearings that he is in favor of more nuclear energy.