The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and Type One Energy, a nuclear fusion company based in Knoxville, have signed a cooperative agreement to develop a pilot fusion power plant. The partnership aims to support the construction of the world’s first commercial fusion power plant, named Infinity Two. Type One Energy plans to build a prototype of its reactor technology at the closed TVA Bull Run coal-fired plant in Anderson County, with construction expected to begin in 2026.
The company relocated its headquarters to Knoxville last year, with plans to create 300 jobs. Under the agreement, TVA and Type One Energy will collaborate on siting studies, environmental reviews, licensing, and financing for the next phase of the project. TVA will provide Type One Energy access to its power services shops in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, in return for priority in licensing the technology if the prototype and pilot plant are successful.
The 350-megawatt Infinity Two pilot power plant could potentially replace TVA fossil fuel plants and become operational as early as the mid-2030s. Christofer Mowry, CEO of Type One Energy, described the agreement as a “commercialization landmark” between a fusion technology developer and a utility. Nuclear fusion has long been considered a promising technology for creating clean electricity, despite decades of research.
Type One Energy, founded in 2019, brings together a team of accomplished fusion scientists aiming for rapid commercialization.
Fusion power pilot plant development
The company established its global headquarters in Knoxville last year, attracted by funding from the state of Tennessee and expertise at TVA and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Approximately 60 people work at the Knoxville headquarters. TVA CEO Jeff Lyash sees fusion as one of the innovative technologies with great promise and regards Type One Energy as a leading fusion company globally. TVA is also working on a separate project to build small modular reactors.
Type One Energy was the first recipient of Tennessee’s innovation fund, proposed by Gov. Bill Lee and approved by the Tennessee General Assembly in 2023. The company is utilizing advanced materials science and supercomputers like ORNL’s Frontier to model nuclear fusion reactors.
Matt Miles, senior vice president of external affairs and marketing at Type One Energy, emphasized that the project at Bull Run is not a science project but rather a step towards finalizing the design of a power plant. The partnership between TVA and Type One Energy could fulfill a long-held dream of commercial nuclear fusion in the Tennessee Valley region. Miles expressed his desire to work with TVA and a group of partners to deploy the world’s first fusion power plant in the region by 2029 or 2030.
