ORANO USA SEEKS TO LOCATE URANIUM ENRICHMENT OPERATIONS IN OAK RIDGE
Oak Ridge selected as the preferred site for a new enrichment facility, company’s multi- billion-dollar project represents single largest investment in Tennessee history OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Stuart
C. McWhorter and Orano USA officials announced today the company has selected Oak Ridge, Tennessee, as the preferred site to construct a new, multi- billion-dollar, state-of-the-art centrifuge uranium enrichment facility. The uranium enrichment center will be a multi-structure commercial production site covering approximately 750,000 square feet, making it one of the largest in North America. Facility operations will create more than 300 new direct jobs in Roane County. With U.S. headquarters in
Bethesda, Maryland, and global headquarters in Paris, France, Orano is a leading technology and services provider for the commercial and federal nuclear industries. The company specializes in uranium mining/conversion/enrichment, used nuclear fuel management and recycling, decommissioning shutdown nuclear energy facilities, federal site clean-up and closure and developing nuclear medicines to fight cancer. Orano will be the second company to locate in Tennessee utilizing the Nuclear Energy Fund,
which assists nuclear energy-related businesses choosing to relocate or grow in the Volunteer State and supports the state’s universities and research institutions in further developing their nuclear education programs. The $50 million fund was in Gov. Lee’s recommended 2023-2024 budget and approved by the Tennessee General Assembly. An additional $10 million was allocated and approved in the state’s budget during the 2024 legislative session. The project announced today was vetted and
recommended by the Education and Workforce subgroup, part of the 22-member Tennessee Nuclear Energy Advisory Council. Local elected officials praised the announcement: “We are thrilled to welcome Orano to Roane County, the nation’s most nuclear-friendly community. Orano’s decision to locate in Oak Ridge represents a historic milestone: the first instance in global history where a community has transitioned from uranium enrichment during the Manhattan Project, through environmental cleanup and reindustrialization, back to enrichment. Roane County, together with our regional partners, stand ready to support Orano’s
enrichment endeavors, and we celebrate this remarkable achievement with them today.” – Roane County Executive Wade Creswell “Since the days of the Manhattan Project, Oak Ridge has played a vital role in advancing nuclear innovation and supporting the nuclear industry in the U.S. and the world. As we welcome Orano to Oak Ridge, we understand our new role in contributing toward a carbon-free, energy
future. This goal cannot be accomplished without uranium enrichment, and Orano has proven itself to be a world leader in the industry. Orano will help us build out the supply chain for additional industries while creating good paying jobs for Oak Ridgers.” – Oak Ridge Mayor Warren L. Gooch “This announcement puts Tennessee firmly on the cutting edge of the future of nuclear power. Energy independence
will be critical to our nation’s success. The development and expansion of clean and efficient nuclear power is the path to that independence. This unprecedented project will provide much needed jobs for Tennesseans and place us at the forefront of a critical industry sector. I am grateful to Governor Lee, Commissioner McWhorter and all my colleagues in the General Assembly for making this possible.” – Lt. Gov. Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) “Oak Ridge is home to some of the brightest scientists in the world, and it is only fitting that our community is the future home to one of the only nuclear fuel enrichment facilities in the U.S. Our city and state have become a household name in the nuclear energy industry, and I look forward to seeing continued success for many years to come. We are grateful for this significant project in our city.” – Rep. John Ragan (R-Oak
Ridge) Local media also reported favorably on the announcement: Read the full announcement here.
APPLY NOW: DOE-FUNDED PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITY WITH ANS
EnergyWerx and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently offered a funding opportunity where DOE provides financial support to selected “Voucher Providers” to offer their services to “Voucher Recipients.” There is no cost to the Voucher Recipient. The value of the work (paid to the Voucher Provider) is approximately $100,000. The American Nuclear Society (ANS) is one of the selected Voucher Providers under Voucher Opportunity 3 – Clean Energy Demonstration Project Siting/Permitting Support
(OCED/EERE). Here is the list of Voucher Providers. ANS is on page two, seventh from the bottom: V03-11 American Nuclear Society. If
you are interested in partnering with ANS as a Voucher Recipient under the attached scope of work, please apply using the button below.
The deadline to apply for this opportunity is September 12th at 3pm ET.
JOIN ECA AND DOE TO DISCUSS COAL TO NUCLEAR TRANSITION
As part of
ECA’s New Nuclear Initiative, participants will join a discussion with DOE-NE on the feasibility of converting the nation’s retiring coal plants to nuclear power plants. By leveraging the existing workforce and some of the infrastructure in coal communities the transition from coal-to-nuclear could preserve hundreds of jobs, while creating new jobs and economic opportunities. Register for the webinar here! Please submit any questions you ay have beforehand to Faith Sanchez, Energy Communities Alliance, faiths@energyca.org.
September 16-18, 2024| Crystal Gateway Marriott | Arlington, VA Join us for the 10th Annual National Cleanup Workshop!
Hear from senior DOE leaders, local government officials, and industry leaders about DOE's cleanup priorities, the future of the workforce, and more.
Featured Speakers: - The Honorable Jennifer M. Granholm, Secretary of U.S. Department of Energy
- Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (TN-03), Chairman, House Appropriations Energy and Water Development
Subcommittee
- Candice Robertson, Senior Advisor, DOE-EM
- Jeff Avery, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, DOE-EM
- Greg Sosson, Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Field Operations, DOE-EM
- Kristen Ellis, Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Regulatory and Policy Affairs, DOE-EM
- Dae Chung, Associate Principal Deputy
Assistant Secretary for Corporate Services, DOE-EM
- James McConnell, Associate Principal Deputy Administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration
- Brent Gerry, Mayor, City of West Richland, WA; Chair, ECA and
- Rebecca Casper, Mayor, City of Idaho Falls, Idaho, and Vice-Chair, ECA.
Hosted by ECA with the cooperation of the Energy Facility Contractors Group and DOE-EM, the workshop brings together more than 800 senior DOE executives, officials from DOE sites, industry leaders,
local elected officials, contractors and community stakeholders to discuss EM’s progress to address the environmental legacy of the Manhattan Project and Cold War-era U.S. nuclear weapons program.
HOW WILL YOUR SITE/COMMUNITY BE AFFECTED BY THE REPRIORITIZATION OF WASTE SHIPMENTS AT WIPP?
In order to get as much of your input as possible into the prioritization of the source of TRU waste that is being disposed at WIPP from DOE generator sites, ECA has decided to extend the deadline of the survey until September 18. We would appreciate if you could complete the survey at your earliest convenience and share the survey with members of your community. WIPP (DOE EM), as a requirement under DOE’s state permit, is developing a new “Waste Isolation Pilot (“WIPP”) Legacy TRU Waste Disposal Plan” (the “Plan”). Your input will help ECA and other organizations identify and advise the prioritization of the source of the TRU waste that is being disposed at WIPP from DOE generator sites. Please reach out to us if you have any questions about the survey, or if you have any thoughts on who else we can send the survey to. Your input and support are important to making this survey an informative tool for WIPP,
and it is greatly appreciated. ECA is asking for feedback from the citizens, local, state and Tribal governments and others on the issues. ECA will post the results of the survey on our web page after the survey results are recorded. Please provide your input before the survey closes on September
18.
For more on the survey, or if you have any questions, please contact Andres Ridge at ajr@energyca.org
Office of Nuclear Energy Now Accepting Applications for Fellowships and Scholarships The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is making $6 million
available in scholarships and fellowships for students pursuing nuclear energy-related degrees across the United States. The funding is provided through DOE’s University Nuclear Leadership Program (UNLP). UNLP will award $5,000 scholarships to students at one to two-year institutions training as nuclear technicians. Four-year institutions will receive scholarships of $10,000 for one year and graduate fellows will receive $175,000 over three years to help
pay for graduate studies and research. Fellowships also include a one-time, $7,000 allowance that funds an internship at a DOE national laboratory or other approved research facility to strengthen the ties between students and DOE’s energy research programs. Applications for scholarships and fellowships are due by January 16, 2025. Apply and learn more! NSUF awards 13 new
Super Rapid Turnaround Experiments The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) selected 13 Super Rapid Turnaround Experiment (RTE) user access projects to examine the performance of promising nuclear materials, fuels, and sensors to support the nation’s current fleet of reactors and advance next generation nuclear technologies. Awardees will have up to a year to complete experiments using the world-class testing capabilities provided through the Department’s Nuclear Science User Facilities
(NSUF) at no cost to the researchers. The selected Super RTE project research teams include 13 principal investigators from 6 universities, 2 national laboratories, and 1 industry partner who will work with the NSUF on their proposed experiments. For more information on the selected projects visit Home Page - NSUF (inl.gov). Read the full announcement. U.S. Department of Commerce Announces New $25 Million Good Jobs Challenge Notice of Funding Opportunity WASHINGTON, DC – The Biden-Harris Administration, through the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA), today launches a new phase of funding for the Good Jobs Challenge. This funding opportunity
builds on the success of the first round of the Good Jobs Challenge awards, funded by the American Rescue Plan, and this round will invest $25 million into high-quality, locally-led workforce training programs that lead to good jobs. Read the full summary.
PROVIDE YOUR INPUT - OPEN REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION Opportunity: Consolidated Interim Storage Facility RFI DOE intends to establish a consolidated interim storage facility for storage of spent nuclear fuel until a permanent repository is available. DOE is performing this market research to gather information from all interested parties that will help formulate the actual solicitation. The first RFI is working to establish the market boundaries that can best fulfill the needs of the CISF program. This RFI works to answer the best contract strategy and contract type, the ability
of commercial businesses to support and fulfill CISF requirements & to what capacity small businesses can support CISF requirements. Response Due: September 5 2024, 6:00 pm EST Opportunity: DOE Package Performance Demonstration DOE intends to establish a consolidated interim storage facility for storage of spent nuclear fuel until a permanent repository is available. DOE is performing this market research to gather information from all
interested parties that will help formulate the actual solicitation. The first RFI is working to establish the market boundaries that can best fulfill the needs of the CISF program. This RFI works to answer the best contract strategy and contract type, the ability of commercial businesses to support and fulfill CISF requirements & to what capacity small businesses can support CISF requirements. Response Due: September 30 2024, 7:00 pm EST |
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Gone Fission Nuclear Report: Oak Ridge Vision: A Cleanup Milestone Completed August 26, 2024 | S4 E15 Each year, the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management publishes a list of cleanup priorities for its sites around the country. Progress in the cleanup program is measured by how well these milestones are met. This week, the Gone Fission Nuclear Report is celebrating the completion of a major cleanup goal on DOE’s Oak Ridge Reservation in Tennessee.
It’s a comprehensive soil remediation project that DOE calls “Vision 2024.” Our guest is Joanna Hardin, DOE Federal Project Director for the East Tennessee Technology Park in Oak Ridge. She talks with host Michael Butler about what it took to remediate more than a half million cubic yards of contaminated soil as the site becomes home to new nuclear-related businesses.
Hanford Advisory Board Meeting September 10-11, 2024 | Centennial Hotel (Spokane, WA) More Info Here Coal-To-Nuclear Transition Webinar September 11, 2024 | 1:00 - 2:30pm ET Register now! 2024 National Cleanup Workshop September 16-18, 2024 | Crystal Gateway Marriott (Arlington, VA) Register now!
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