East Tennessee: Where the Future of Nuclear Energy is Being Built @OakRidgeNationalLab

Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

Nuclear science didn't just start at Oak Ridge National Laboratory — it was born here. Founded as part of the Manhattan Project, ORNL has spent decades forging the path of nuclear innovation, and that mission is accelerating.

East Tennessee is now home to more than 150 nuclear companies, forming one of the most powerful energy ecosystems in the world. Through groundbreaking partnerships with Tennessee Valley Authority, Kairos Power, and the Department of Energy, the region is pioneering everything from 3D-printed reactor components and advanced fuel types to next-generation reactor designs like the Hermes prototype currently under construction.

From the fuel cycle to workforce development, ORNL and its partners are proving that East Tennessee isn't just where nuclear energy began — it's where nuclear energy will be reborn.

ORNL is using #BigScience to make a big impact. Learn more: ornl.gov/bigscience

East Tennessee: Where the Future of Nuclear Energy is Being Built

Iowa State researchers use scientific wand to suspend solutions in midair

$Promethium unveiled: Rare earth element’s secrets exposed Scientists have uncovered the properties of a #rareearth element that was first discovered 80 years ago at the very same laboratory, opening a new pathway for the exploration of elements critical in modern #technology, from #medicine to #spacetravel. #Promethium was discovered in 1945 at Clinton Laboratories, now Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and continues to be produced at ORNL in minute quantities. Some of its properties have remained elusive despite the rare earth element’s use in medical studies and long-lived nuclear batteries. It is named after the mythological Titan who delivered fire to humans and whose name symbolizes human striving. The ORNL-led team of scientists prepared a chemical complex of promethium, which enabled its characterization in solution for the first time. Thus, they exposed the secrets of this extremely rare lanthanide, whose atomic number is 61, in a series of meticulous experiments. Learn more: https://www.ornl.gov/news/promethium-bound-rare-earth-elements-secrets-exposed This work was primarily co-sponsored by DOE’s Office of Science for ligand synthesis, lanthanide complexation studies, crystallization processes, spectroscopic analyses and simulation efforts. The production, purification and preparation of the promethium sample were supported by the DOE Isotope Program, managed by the Office of Science for Isotope R&D and Production. The single-crystal X-ray diffraction data collection and refinement were supported by the DOE Office of Science.$

Advancing clean energy at the first-ever Innovation Days event

Computational chemist secures the nation

A Climate Science Journey with Asmeret Asefaw Berhe