Officials celebrate the transfer of a 77-acre parcel, known as Economic Development Parcel 18, from federal ownership at the East Tennessee Technology Park at Oak Ridge. From left, Oak Ridge City Council Member Jim Dodson, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) Quality and Mission Support Division Director Erin Sutton, OREM Manager Erik Olds, Oak Ridge City Mayor Warren Gooch, Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board Chair David Wilson and Oak Ridge City Manager Randy Hemann.

DOE Completes Largest Land Transfer Yet in Oak Ridge, Spurring New Economic Growth

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) has completed its largest land transfer to date, transferring more than 700 acres to the community to support economic development and energy innovation.

The transfer makes land available near robust infrastructure and world-class scientific talent, enabling private-sector investment that will drive economic growth, create jobs and help meet America’s rising energy demands.

The latest transfer includes two parcels from DOE’s Oak Ridge Reservation: Self-Sufficiency Parcel 2 (SSP-2) and Economic Development Parcel 18 (ED-18). Two nuclear energy companies have already announced plans to invest a combined $6.7 billion at the sites, and they are projected to create 1,100 local jobs.

“Our mission is making it possible for DOE and the community to reuse land in meaningful and impactful ways,” said OREM Manager Erik Olds. “Reaching this stage and seeing the benefits that are possible is the payoff to all the hard work that came before. With these transfers now complete, the community and private industry can move forward with some of the biggest plans ever announced for this region.”

The Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management has completed its largest land transfer to date, transferring more than 700 acres to the community to support economic development and energy innovation. The latest transfer includes two parcels: the 624-acre Self-Sufficiency Parcel 2, shown in blue, and the 77-acre Economic Development Parcel 18, shown in yellow.

“For decades, the City of Oak Ridge has worked with DOE to thoughtfully repurpose unused federal land in ways that support responsible growth,” said City of Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch. “This transfer reflects years of planning and collaboration to ensure land within our city limits is positioned to meet national energy needs while creating economic opportunity for our community.”

SSP-2 covers 624 acres near the East Tennessee Technology Park and was transferred to the Industrial Development Board of the City of Oak Ridge. Orano USA has announced plans to invest $5 billion to build a uranium enrichment facility at the site, known as Project IKE — one of the largest investments in Tennessee’s history.

Earlier this year, DOE awarded $900 million to Orano Federal Services to expand U.S. domestic low-enriched uranium enrichment capacity. The funding will accelerate development of the Project IKE facility.

The 750,000-square-foot facility will become one of the largest uranium enrichment plants in North America, solidifying Oak Ridge as a hub for nuclear technology and innovation. The company has begun the licensing process with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and anticipates the facility could begin production in 2031.

Separately, ED-18 covers 77 acres in the East Tennessee Technology Park. Its transfer to the City of Oak Ridge is also enabling one of the largest economic developments planned at the site.

ED-18 comprises a portion of the 250 acres Oklo Inc. announced as its preferred site for the first privately funded commercial advanced nuclear fuel recycling facility. The first phase of its $1.68 billion fuel recycling facility is expected to create more than 800 jobs and provide fuel for the company’s Aurora powerhouses and other advanced reactor designs.

The facility is expected to begin producing fuel for Aurora powerhouses by the early 2030s, pending regulatory review and approvals.

These economic development opportunities for the region are made possible from the environmental cleanup conducted by OREM and contractor United Cleanup Oak Ridge (UCOR). Their work has transformed a shuttered government-owned uranium enrichment complex into a privately owned industrial park that has become a hub for nuclear energy development.

To date, OREM has transferred 2,532 acres to the community for economic reuse. More than 25 businesses are located on this transferred land or have announced plans to build there. Together, they are making a projected capital investment of $10 billion and expect to generate 2,500 private-sector jobs. Among them are nuclear companies BWXT Technologies Inc., Kairos Power, LIS Technologies, Nano Nuclear Energy Inc., Radiant, Standard Nuclear and TRISO-X.