Prepared for the Tennessee Nuclear Energy Advisory Council
Dr. Matthew N. Murray, Dr. Elis Vllasi and Dr. Jilleah G. Welch.
Tennessee has strong roots in the nuclear sector, dating back to the era of the Manhattan Project. Today, Tennesseans rely on nuclear power for a significant share of their baseload electricity generation.
Nuclear-related research and other activities, from nuclear medicine to legacy site cleanup and waste remediation, represent important assets of the East Tennessee economy. This foundation has the potential to support the next generation of electric power supply through the construction and deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs).
SMRs and nuclear power generation have the capacity to provide clean energy and help meet the nation’s ongoing decarbonization goals and energy security needs, while also providing widespread economic development benefits.