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NRC approves construction permit for Hermes reactor

Posted at 7:32 pm December 12, 2023
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

An image showing the proposed Hermes demonstration reactor by Kairos Power. The test reactor would be built at Heritage Center industrial park in west Oak Ridge. (Image by Kairos Power)

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved a construction permit for a test reactor at Heritage Center industrial park in west Oak Ridge. The NRC decision was announced Tuesday, and construction could start next year.

The 35-megawatt thermal Hermes demonstration reactor would be built by Kairos Power, which has headquarters in Alameda, California, and a Tennessee operation in Oak Ridge.

Hermes would use molten salt to cool its reactor core. It would not generate electricity. Instead, it would provide operational data to support the development of a larger version for commercial power, the NRC said.

“A critical step on Kairos Power’s iterative pathway to commercializing its advanced reactor technology, the Hermes reactor will demonstrate the company’s ability to deliver clean, safe, and affordable nuclear heat,” the company said in a press release.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Federal, Front Page News, Government, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Roane County, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, demonstration reactor, Hermes, Hermes 2, Hermes test reactor, Kairos Power, Mike Laufer, molten salt, NRC, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Speakers mostly support TRISO-X fuel facility at meeting

Posted at 2:30 pm January 27, 2023
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

TRISO-X has proposed a nuclear fuel fabrication facility on 110 acres at Horizon Center in west Oak Ridge. (Photo from TRISO-X environmental report to U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission)

A small group of residents who spoke at a public meeting on Wednesday were mostly supportive of a proposed nuclear fuel facility in west Oak Ridge. None of the seven local speakers opposed the project, but they had some suggestions for what the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission should consider as it prepares an environmental impact statement. That was the type of input the NRC had requested.

The nuclear fuel facility would be the first manufacturing facility of its type in the United States. It has been proposed by TRISO-X, and it would be on 110 acres at Horizon Center. The coated particle uranium fuel produced there could be used in new types of nuclear reactors such as small modular reactors.

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Filed Under: Business, Business, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Premium Content, Roane County, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: City of Oak Ridge, David Wilson, East Tennessee Economic Council, EIS, environmental impact statement, HALEU, high-assay low-enriched uranium, Horizon Center, Mark Watson, Matt Bartlett, Michael Russell, NRC, nuclear fuel facility, nuclear material license, nuclear power, nuclear reactor, Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board, public comment, Steve Mead, Tracy Boatner, TRISO-X, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, uranium fuel, X-energy

NRC accepting comments on environmental review for nuclear fuel facility

Posted at 9:22 pm January 19, 2023
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

TRISO-X has proposed a nuclear fuel fabrication facility on 110 acres at Horizon Center in west Oak Ridge. (Photo from TRISO-X environmental report to U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission)

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission will have a public meeting in Oak Ridge next week to accept public comments about the environmental review for a proposed nuclear fuel facility at Horizon Center.

It would be the first manufacturing facility of its type in the United States. It has been proposed by TRISO-X, which wants to manufacture coated particle uranium fuel for new types of nuclear reactors—advanced and small modular reactors. The fuel could power reactors for electrical and chemical use, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

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Filed Under: Business, Federal, Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Premium Content, Roane County Tagged With: fuel fabrication, HALEU, high-assay low-enriched uranium, Horizon Center, NRC, NRC license, nuclear fuel, nuclear reactors, public meeting, TRISO-X, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, X-energy

Railroad could jeopardize airport

Posted at 10:12 pm January 18, 2023
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

If not removed, this section of railroad tracks at Heritage Center, the former K-25 site, would be a “deal-killer” for the proposed Oak Ridge Airport because the runway would be built in this area but could not be with the railroad tracks there. This is looking east across the main entrance to Heritage Center on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Railroad tracks at Heritage Center, the former K-25 site, have emerged as a potential “deal-killer” for the proposed Oak Ridge Airport.

On Tuesday, Oak Ridge city leaders said a new company in west Oak Ridge might want to use the rail line to ship materials, but the tracks run through and roughly perpendicular to where the airport runway would be. Officials had expected the rail line, which had been “very inactive,” to be transferred.

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Filed Under: Business, Business, Federal, Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Premium Content, Roane County, Slider, State, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Chuck Hope, East Tennessee Technology Park, environmental assessment, haul road, Heritage Center, Jack Suggs, K-25, Mark Watson, Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority, Oak Ridge airport, rail line, railroad, Surface Transportation Board, U.S. Department of Energy, Warren Gooch

Power to TRISO at Horizon could cost $13 million

Posted at 4:08 pm January 2, 2023
By John Huotari 2 Comments

This map shows the potential route of 69-kilovolt overhead power lines for the TRISO-X nuclear fuel facility at Horizon Center in west Oak Ridge, starting at the substation (SUB) on the south side of Highway 95/58 (lower right), continuing up Novus Drive (center right), crossing onto Horizon Center land, and then running east (to the right) on the back side of Site 6 (open area at upper right).

Building a new substation and electrical lines to supply power to a nuclear fuel company could cost $13 million, Oak Ridge officials said in December.

The nuclear fuel company, TRISO-X, needs about 32 to 35 megawatts of electricity at Horizon Center in west Oak Ridge. That would make the company the city’s biggest electrical customer. (Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex get most of their power directly from Tennessee Valley Authority.)

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Filed Under: Business, Government, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Premium Content, Roane County, Roane County, Slider Tagged With: Ardo Ba, Black Oak Ridge Conservation Easement, Charlie Hensley, City of Oak Ridge, David Wilson, Derrick Hammond, DOE, electric substation, electrical lines, electrical project, electrical supply, Ellen Smith, HALEU, high-assay low-enriched uranium, Horizon Center, IDB, Jack Suggs, Jim Dodson, Novus Drive, nuclear fuel, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Electric Department, Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board, Patterson and Dewar Engineers, power poles, power supply, Richard Chinn, substation, Tennessee Valley Authority, TRISO-X, TVA, U.S. Department of Energy, X-energy

CROET president tells Oak Ridge story on national podcast

Posted at 10:38 am February 21, 2022
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Teresa Frady

Teresa Frady, president of the Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee, is the Spotlight Interview guest on this week’s episode of the Gone Fission Nuclear Report podcast, which covers U.S. Department of Energy environmental management activities around the nation.

Hosted by Michael Butler, the episode is available on all podcast platforms and can be accessed at www.gonefissionpodcast.com, a press release said.

Frady shared with Butler’s listeners CROET’s mission to help DOE transition underused assets such as land, buildingsm and equipment to private sector companies at the East Tennessee Technology Park, also known as the Heritage Center. She recently replaced Lawrence Young, who had served as CROET’s president and chief executive officer since its founding in 1995.

“Our partnership with DOE in transferring federal land helps the region with creation of quality jobs but also adds the property to Roane County and City of Oak Ridge tax rolls,” she said in the press release. “This helps the communities and saves the federal government money since DOE no longer has to maintain those assets.”

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, East Tennessee Technology Park, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, Roane County, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee, CROET, DOE, East Tennessee Technology Park, ETTP, Gone Fission Nuclear Report, Heritage Center, Michael Butler, Spotlight Interview, Teresa Frady, U.S. Department of Energy

Frady named CROET president, CEO

Posted at 10:29 am February 1, 2022
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Teresa Frady

Teresa Frady has been named president and chief executive officer of the Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee.

CROET is a regional economic development nonprofit organization that helps find new uses for U.S. Department of Energy facilities and property, including at sites that are no longer used or needed. The goal is to spur private development and create jobs.

Frady’s appointment was announced during the January meeting of the CROET Board of Directors. She replaces Lawrence Young, who is retiring after serving more than 26 years as CROET’s president and CEO.

“I am so pleased that Teresa has accepted the challenge of leading CROET into its next phase,” Young said in a press release. “Teresa has been an integral part of the success of the organization, and I am confident that she, as my successor, will enhance upon the legacy established by the organization’s founders.”

Frady began her career with CROET 22 years ago, the press release said. She has risen through the ranks with increasing responsibility by serving in such roles as account manager, accountant, chief accountant, chief operating officer, and executive director.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Business, CROET, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Roane County, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee, CROET, East Tennessee Technology Park, Heritage Center, K-25 site, Kairos Power, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, pilot fuel manufacturing, Roane County, Teresa Frady, test reactor, U.S. Department of Energy, Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation

Guidebook highlights Oak Ridge’s natural assets

Posted at 4:14 pm February 24, 2020
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Natural Assets Guidebook
Image by Legacy Parks Foundation

A new guidebook highlights Oak Ridge’s natural assets.

The “Oak Ridge Natural Assets Guidebook” by Legacy Parks Foundation is a collaborative project created at the request of the City of Oak Ridge, Roane County, and Anderson County civic and business leaders, a press release said. It’s in response to recommendations from the Oak Ridge Blueprint Plan that urged the exploration of both recreational opportunities and enhancement of the area’s natural assets.

“The Guidebook is intended to be a living, working document that will serve as a philosophical and practical set of guidelines for how to maximize the area’s natural assets so that they provide a sustainable foundation to engage residents, promote wellness, attract tourism, and increase economic development,” said Carol Evans, executive director of Legacy Parks Foundation.

The Guidebook identifies natural assets and related opportunities on public land in Oak Ridge, including U.S. Department of Energy land, but it does not consider future uses of that land for mission-related or growth purposes, Evans said.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Anderson County, Business, Community, Front Page News, Government, Nonprofits, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Recreation, Roane County, Roane County, Sports, Top Stories Tagged With: Carol Evans, Legacy Parks Foundation, natural assets, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Natural Assets Guidebook

Ribbon-cutting for renovated K-25 Visitor Center & Overlook is April 25

Posted at 11:12 pm April 10, 2019
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

K25 Ribbon Cutting Invitation

A ribbon-cutting has been scheduled at the renovated K-25 Visitors Center and Overlook in west Oak Ridge on Thursday, April 25.

The ceremony has been scheduled from 4-6 p.m. April 25. The ribbon-cutting is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.

“This project has been a labor of love between Bionomics and Roane County Visitors Bureau/The Roane Alliance, and we are excited for you to see all the changes that have already taken place,” a press release said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Front Page News, Government, History, Roane County, Roane County, Top Stories Tagged With: Bionomics, K-25 Visitors Center and Overlook, ribbon-cutting, Roane County Visitors Bureau, The Roane Alliance

Company could invest $500 million at medical isotope production facility

Posted at 11:16 am April 10, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Pictured above is a rendering of the proposed Coquí Radio Pharmaceuticals Corporation medical isotope production facility at the Heritage Center in west Oak Ridge. (Image courtesy Coquí)

Pictured above is a rendering of the proposed Coquí Radio Pharmaceuticals Corporation medical isotope production facility at the Heritage Center in west Oak Ridge. (Image courtesy Coquí)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 12:45 p.m.

Coquí Radio Pharmaceuticals Corporation announced Wednesday that it could invest $500 million at a new medical isotope production facility at the Heritage Center in west Oak Ridge.

The facility could start production in late 2025, said Carmen Bigles, founder and chief executive officer of Coquí Radio Pharmaceuticals.

The U.S. Department of Energy has transferred land for the facility and provided research support through the national laboratories, the company said in a press release Wednesday morning.

Coquí’s facility will produce medical isotopes that diagnose and treat diseases, primarily molybdenum-99 (Mo-99), which is used in 18 million medical procedures a year in the U.S., the press release said.

The facility will provide more than 200 high-paying, permanent jobs, Coquí said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Business, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Roane County, Slider, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: Carmen Bigles, Coquí Radio Pharmaceuticals, Coquí Radio Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Heritage Center, medical isotope, medical isotope production, Mo-99, molybdenum-99, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, ORNL, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Y-12 National Security Complex

See draft layout drawings for proposed Oak Ridge Airport

Posted at 7:15 pm December 21, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

A May 2018 draft of the airport layout drawing for the proposed Oak Ridge Airport at East Tennessee Technology Park along State Route 58 in west Oak Ridge. (Image courtesy Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority/Michael Baker International)

A May 2018 draft of the airport layout drawing for the proposed Oak Ridge Airport at East Tennessee Technology Park along State Route 58 in west Oak Ridge. (Image courtesy Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority/Michael Baker International)

 

A layout plan has been submitted for the proposed Oak Ridge Airport, and now officials are waiting for a response from the Federal Aviation Administration.

The response could arrive any day, according Bill Barley, vice president of CHA Consulting, which has an office in Louisville. Barley and Mike Reiter of Michael Baker International, an architectural firm, gave an update about the Oak Ridge Airport project during a meeting of the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority Board of Commissioners at McGhee Tyson Aiport in Alcoa on Wednesday.

The letter from the FAA could be a conditional approval, which is standard, Barley said.

If approved and funded, the airport would have a 5,000-foot runway, and it would be built on the south side of the East Tennessee Technology Park, the former K-25 site in west Oak Ridge. It would be near Highway 58, on 170 acres of land that have been declared excess by the U.S. Department of Energy. The runway could run roughly parallel to the highway.

Here are a few images from the draft airport master plan in May for the proposed Oak Ridge Airport, courtesy of Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority and Michael Baker International. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Business, Federal, Government, Oak Ridge, Roane County, Slider, State Tagged With: airport layout, Bill Barley, CHA Consulting, East Tennessee Technology Park, FAA, Federal Aviation Administration, K-25 site, layout plan, Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority, Michael Baker International, Oak Ridge airport, U.S. Department of Energy

K-25 overlook to re-open in October

Posted at 2:29 pm September 7, 2018
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

The Visitor's Overlook, part of the Happy Valley property purchased in November, is pictured above across from East Tennessee Technology Park, the former K-25 site, on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Visitor’s Overlook, part of the Happy Valley property purchased in November 2016, is pictured above across from East Tennessee Technology Park, the former K-25 site, on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

K-25 Overlook will be ‘bigger and better,’ provide Manhattan Project and recreational information

The K-25 Overlook next to State Route 58 in west Oak Ridge will soon be re-opening as a much larger and nicer visitor center that will also have a new purpose, a press release said.

Owner John McCormick, vice president of Bionomics, purchased the 160-acre property known as Happy Valley through an auction at the end of 2016. The overlook on SR 58 across from the East Tennessee Technology Park, the former K-25 site, was part of the purchase.

But the overlook needed building repairs and updates to the historical information inside, the press release said. In 2017, McCormick partnered with Pam May, vice president of the Roane Alliance, who reached out to local historians, the National Park Service, U.S. Department of Energy, and Explore Oak Ridge to discuss the future of the overlook.

“The idea to expand the overlook into a visitor center and recreational hub came from the National Park Service in one of the early meetings,” May said. “That aligned perfectly with what John had envisioned—to create trails and open spaces that people could enjoy while also learning Happy Valley’s history through its landmarks still evident on the property.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, East Tennessee Technology Park, Front Page News, History, Roane County, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Bionomics, Designsensory, East Tennessee Technology Park, Explore Oak Ridge, Happy Valley, John McCormick, K-25, K-25 History Center, K-25 Overlook, K-25 site, Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, National Park Service, Pam May, Roane Alliance, U.S. Department of Energy, World War II

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