Oak Ridge’s long history with nuclear science is entering a new phase as two advanced nuclear companies expand major projects in the city — one focused on fuel production and the other on next-generation reactors.

The latest milestone comes from X-energy subsidiary TRISO-X, which announced in late September that it completed the primary structure of its 214,000-square-foot TX-1 nuclear fuel facility in Oak Ridge. The project is now moving into interior construction, equipment installation and supporting-building work.

TX-1 is designed to manufacture TRISO fuel, a specialized nuclear fuel made from tiny uranium particles protected by multiple layers of carbon and ceramic material. The fuel is intended for advanced reactors, including X-energy’s Xe-100 design. When operating at full planned capacity, the Oak Ridge facility is expected to produce roughly 700,000 fuel pebbles annually.

The project is also getting bigger.

This summer, TRISO-X acquired about 70 additional acres next to its Oak Ridge campus, expanding the site to roughly 180 acres. The company says the added property could support utility infrastructure, fuel storage and future expansion. Tennessee also awarded TRISO-X an $11 million economic development grant to support continued development of the campus, including a potential second commercial fuel facility and a dedicated research-and-development center.

X-energy is not the only advanced nuclear company putting down deeper roots in Oak Ridge.

Kairos Power broke ground this year on its Hermes 2 Demonstration Plant, which the company describes as its first commercial-scale reactor. The project is planned to supply up to 50 megawatts of electricity to the TVA grid once operational.

Hermes 2 is also tied to a broader agreement involving Google. Under the arrangement, electricity from the Oak Ridge plant is intended to help serve growing power demand associated with Google data centers in Tennessee and Alabama. Kairos says the Oak Ridge project is the first deployment under a larger agreement with Google aimed at developing multiple advanced reactors.

Taken together, the projects are making Oak Ridge more than a research center for advanced nuclear technology.

The city is increasingly becoming a place where that technology is being manufactured, built and prepared for commercial use — extending a nuclear legacy that already includes Oak Ridge National Laboratory and decades of federal research.

That could make the current construction boom important well beyond Oak Ridge itself. New fuel manufacturing, reactor development, research facilities and associated supply-chain investment have the potential to deepen East Tennessee’s role in a nuclear industry that is attracting renewed interest from utilities, technology companies and manufacturers.

For local residents, the bigger story is that Oak Ridge’s nuclear identity is evolving again — from a place known primarily for research and national-laboratory work into a growing hub for the commercial side of advanced nuclear energy.