A nuclear energy company announced on Friday a $1.4 billion investment in Tennessee.
LIS Technologies said it would expand its operations at the Oak Ridge facility previously known as Duct Island.
The company will be building a K-25 uranium enrichment site, which will become the first American-origin commercial laser uranium enrichment plant in the world.
LIS Technologies’ new facility will support American utilities, next-generation reactor developers, and national defense requirements to help regain a domestic nuclear fuel supply chain, according to a state government press release.
A total of 203 jobs will be created with this investment.
In 2024, the Department of Energy selected LIS Technologies as one of six American companies to join the Low-Enriched Uranium (LEU) Enrichment Acquisition Program, which allocates up to $3.4 billion in funding.
LIS Technologies is the seventh company to utilize the state’s Nuclear Energy Fund to help set up operations, the press release notes. It marks the third-largest nuclear-related investment since the fund began two years ago.
Tennessee created the fund to help “expand the state’s nuclear development.”
Jay Yu, executive chairman and CEO of LIS Technologies, said the selection of Oak Ridge is a “strategic and symbolic decision” for the company.
“This community represents the foundation of America’s enrichment capability and the future of its clean energy and national security mission,” Yu stated.
“Our laser enrichment technology fundamentally changes the economics of enrichment, enabling faster deployment, lower capital intensity and long-term cost advantages,” he added.
Gov. Bill Lee stated Tennessee is leading the country in “advancing American energy independence, which is why innovative companies like LIS Technologies are choosing to do business here.”
“By creating the Nuclear Energy Fund, we have uniquely positioned our state at the forefront of cutting-edge research and development, and I look forward to the opportunity this expansion will create for Tennesseans,” the governor noted.
In addition to LIS Technologies, other nuclear-based companies have expanded in Tennessee.
Orano Federal Services, a French-based company, received $900 million from the federal government earlier this month to support the development of low-enriched uranium. The company announced in 2024 that it would build a 750,000-square-foot complex in Oak Ridge.
Last month, the federal government chose a Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) nuclear site as one of two places to help develop advanced light-water small modular reactors. TVA’s Clinch River Nuclear site will receive $400 million in government money to help develop these modular reactors.
Oklo, a nuclear energy company, announced in September 2025 that it would invest nearly $2 billion in Tennessee. The company said it would be located at the Oak Ridge Heritage Center on 247 acres, where it will recycle used nuclear waste. The investment is estimated to create more than 800 jobs.
Also in September 2025, TVA stated it was doing the biggest nuclear expansion in American history. TVA estimates its six small modular nuclear reactors will be able to power 4.5 million homes in the future.
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Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network. Email tips to Zachery at zschmidt1717@gmail.com.
