Tenn. colleges boosting nuclear tech programs
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – As an aging workforce remains a key challenge for the future of nuclear power, Tennessee colleges are expanding their education offerings to keep up.
The industry is especially vital to the economic outlooks of Knoxville and Oak Ridge, home to two-thirds of the state’s nuclear companies. They’re fueled by partnerships with Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
In Tennessee, the average wage for nuclear workers is around $80,000.
Roane State Community College is just beginning its nuclear technology program, set to launch this fall, and will use state funds to purchase lab equipment. The University of Tennessee at Knoxville, meanwhile, has the nation’s oldest nuclear engineering program and will use the money to add a minor program for non-nuclear engineers.
And Tennessee Tech University will launch a four-year degree program in nuclear engineering this fall to help fill employment gaps, starting with 10 students. The Tennessee Higher Education Commission approved the new program May 16 after providing early support.
The state has not shared how much money the new grants will provide, but the schools could end up being even more important to Tennessee’s growing nuclear sector than any sleek startup that might benefit from Gov. Bill Lee’s $50 million nuclear energy fund.
Roughly 25% of the global nuclear workforce is 55 or older, according to the 2022 Global Energy Talent Index, making these highly skilled industry professionals closer to retirement age than those working with other sources of power, such as renewables and natural gas.
The University of Tennessee-Battelle, which manages the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, donated $100,000 to Roane State to start its nuclear program. Roane State then secured a $1.4 million grant from the U.S. Department
of Labor to help fund partnerships with nuclear organizations in Oak Ridge for hands-on training.
Tennessee’s nuclear energy fund and a 22-member nuclear advisory council were created in 2023 to accelerate nuclear investments in a state that has been a leader of nuclear research since the Manhattan Project.
The first recipient of the fund was Type One Energy, a nuclear fusion company that will establish headquarters in East Tennessee while bringing more than 300 jobs and $223 million in investment over the next five years.
Type One Energy plans to build an advanced fusion prototype at the retired Tennessee Valley Authority Bull Run coal plant.
Nuclear plants have highly trained workforces that tend to stay for decades. Since many plants in the U.S. started in the 1970s and ’80s, including two of the TVA’s plants, concerns about an aging nuclear workforce have lingered for decades.
Tennessee’s nuclear power sector, which provides 45% of the state’s electricity and employs 40,286 people, has a $9.8 billion economic impact, according to a study from trade association E4 Carolinas.
Beyond its economic impact, the sector is increasingly embraced by environmentalists who want more carbon-free power generation.