The billiard-ball fuel factory nears production
As the weather heats up in Tennessee, TRISO-X has made a major land acquisition, adding 70 new acres to its nuclear fuel plant near Oak Ridge. This brings the total area under its control to over 180 acres. The additional space will help accommodate utility corridors, staging for equipment, fuel storage, and room for future expansion. Currently, the site houses TX-1, the company’s first commercial fuel production facility, which is part of a larger plan for future industrial growth.
The plant’s ultimate goal is to manufacture 700,000 uranium pebbles annually. These pebbles are a unique type of nuclear fuel, unlike the traditional fuel rods used in most U.S. reactors. Each pebble is the size of a billiard ball and filled with over 18,000 tiny TRISO particles. These particles are designed to retain fission products even in extreme scenarios, making them a key innovation in reactor safety.
The pebble's test history and future
Before being used in reactors, TRISO fuel underwent rigorous testing. Scientists baked the fuel at temperatures up to 1,600 degrees Celsius for hundreds of hours, simulating some of the most extreme conditions reactors might face. The results showed that almost all radioactive material remained sealed inside the particles. These temperatures even surpassed the worst-case conditions modeled for high-temperature gas reactors.
Although those tests used earlier versions of TRISO fuel, not the specific type being made by TRISO-X, the company continues to validate its product. Right now, 16 of its pebbles are being irradiated in the Advanced Test Reactor at Idaho National Laboratory for a 13-month campaign. This process will confirm their performance under real reactor conditions.
TRISO-X is also making progress in gaining regulatory approval. On February 13, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission granted the company a 40-year license to operate its fuel plant, which is set to expire in 2066. This marks the first Category II fuel fabrication license the commission has issued in over half a century. The license will allow the company to handle high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU), a critical material that many advanced reactors rely on.
Until recently, the only reliable commercial supplier of HALEU was in Russia, which has made securing this fuel a top priority for U.S. energy independence. With this license, TRISO-X is helping address a long-standing gap in domestic nuclear fuel production.
TRISO-X’s operations also rely on a globalized supply chain. Graphite, used in the manufacturing process, is part of the pebble's core structure. This highlights how, even in a highly specialized industry like nuclear energy, international collaboration is essential for building the final product.
In the past three weeks, TRISO-X has made several key moves. On July 15, it received an $11 million grant from the Tennessee Nuclear Energy Supply Chain Investment Fund, a state initiative set up by Governor Bill Lee in 2023. The grant is tied to the promise of more than 1,000 new jobs in Roane and Anderson counties. Just weeks later, the company announced the land purchase. This was followed by ongoing construction at the TX-1 plant.
Joel Duling, the company’s president, emphasized that the land acquisition helps ensure long-term development planning. These recent actions—funding first, then land, and now construction—show a fast-paced effort in an industry typically marked by slow progress. The company is building its facilities to meet future commitments, rather than waiting for them to materialize.
The entire sequence underscores a shift in American nuclear energy. While reactors themselves are still in the planning or construction phase, fuel production is moving forward, setting the stage for a new era in clean and safe energy generation.
