More than 400 industry leaders gathered in Oak Ridge, Tennessee for the annual Tennessee Valley Corridor Summit (TVC).
June 20, 2018
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More than 400 industry leaders gathered in Oak Ridge, Tennessee for the annual Tennessee Valley Corridor Summit (TVC).
The Tennessee Valley Corridor is the stretch of road that connects Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the University of Tennessee and the Tennessee Valley Authority TVA).
It’s also a hub for innovation.
The three day summit, held in late May, included a session on reviving America’s nuclear renaissance.
Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Congressman Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.) both stressed the importance of advancing U.S. nuclear technology to remain a leader in innovation.
Much of the conversation centered on the development of advanced reactors and small modular reactors.
TVA has been looking into the possibility of siting a SMR near Oak Ridge to help demonstrate the technology and provide clean power and resiliency to its facilities.
Innovating at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
ORNL has a rich history in nuclear science.
The lab developed the Molten Salt Reactor Experiment in the 1960s and just recently ramped up production of a key radioisotope for a highly effective cancer drug.
ORNL is also a world leader in additive manufacturing and is working with industry to print reactor parts and fuels.
U.S. Department of Energy’s Ed McGinnis, along with other featured guests, toured some of the capabilities at ORNL, including X-energy’s ribbon cutting event to develop a “TRISO” fuel fabrication facility for advanced reactors.
The TVC focuses on supporting federal science and technology missions in the Tennessee valley and competes for new investments to grow private sector job opportunities.