U.S. nuclear fuel manufacturer TRISO-X announced on July 17 that it will use an $11 million economic development grant from the Tennessee state government to expand its TRISO nuclear fuel manufacturing facility in Oak Ridge. The expansion plan includes the construction of a second commercial fuel plant (TX-2) and a research and development center (TX-L). Upon completion, the facility is expected to become one of the world’s largest commercial TRISO nuclear fuel manufacturing bases.
The Tennessee state government stated that the grant comes from the Nuclear Energy Supply Chain Investment Fund, established in 2023, aimed at promoting nuclear energy manufacturing, talent development, and supply chain growth. The new facilities will be located at the Oak Ridge Horizon Center in Oak Ridge, adjacent to the TX-1 commercial fuel plant currently under construction. TRISO-X noted that the completed facility will include two fuel manufacturing plants, TX-1 and TX-2, as well as the TX-L R&D center, with the TX-2 plant adopting higher levels of automated production technology.
In February of this year, TRISO-X obtained a 40-year special nuclear material (SNM) license from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), allowing the use of high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) for commercial fuel production, covering both the TX-1 and TX-2 plants. HALEU is a fuel form widely adopted by advanced reactors, and the U.S. is actively establishing a domestic supply chain to reduce dependence on foreign fuel sources.
TRISO fuel features fuel particles coated with multiple layers of ceramic material, offering excellent high-temperature resistance and safety performance, and is considered a key technology for fourth-generation nuclear energy. The Xe-100 high-temperature gas-cooled small modular reactor (SMR) developed by X-energy uses this fuel design, with a single module generating 80 MW of power and the flexibility to scale as needed. TRISO-X and its parent company, X-energy, have been working on the commercialization of TRISO fuel since 2016, establishing test facilities at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to continuously optimize mass production processes.
Fuel produced by TRISO-X became the world’s first advanced nuclear fuel manufactured for commercial use in 2025 and began irradiation testing at the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) at Idaho National Laboratory. TRISO-X stated that these tests will serve as critical validation for the commercial deployment of the Xe-100 reactor. Once the facility is completed, it is expected to produce enough fuel to supply approximately 55 Xe-100 reactors, with a total generation capacity of 4.5 GW, equivalent to the electricity needs of 3.3 million U.S. households.
Clay Sell, CEO of X-energy, stated that the commercial production of TRISO fuel will lay the foundation for the widespread adoption of small modular reactors and aligns with the U.S. Department of Energy’s strategic direction to establish a domestic HALEU fuel supply. As global demand for low-carbon energy increases, the development of advanced nuclear technologies is accelerating. TRISO-X’s expansion plan will further strengthen the U.S.’s leadership position in the nuclear fuel supply chain. According to the report, this expansion is expected to help the U.S. reduce its dependence on foreign nuclear fuel and enhance energy security.
According to TechNews, TRISO-X’s expansion plan is expected to create over 1,000 permanent jobs and further advance the development of the U.S. nuclear energy industry.
