The US Department of Energy (DOE) selected Utah, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Idaho as potential locations for new Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses aimed at rebuilding America’s domestic nuclear fuel cycle. The initiative is designed to attract major investment, expand nuclear manufacturing, strengthen energy security, and create thousands of high-paying jobs.
The proposed campuses could support the full nuclear lifecycle, including fuel production, enrichment, recycling, advanced reactor deployment, power generation, and nuclear technology development. DOE estimates the projects could attract up to $50 billion in investment, generate $10 billion in state and local tax revenue, and create nearly 25,000 jobs.
The five states were chosen from 28 applications across 26 states and will continue working with DOE to develop potential sites. The effort is part of a broader push to expand U.S. nuclear capacity, advance energy independence, and support future technologies such as AI-powered data centers.