According to the companies, the LOI advances their collaboration in support of a 350-MW baseload fusion power plant, called Infinity Two, at the site near Knoxville, Tenn., using Type One’s stellarator fusion technology.
The LOI also covers potential future use of the prototype facilities as an operator and maintenance training facility for the Infinity Two workforce. The companies hope to have the pilot fusion power plant operational by the mid-2030s.
Infinity One: Project Infinity was born out of a triparty memorandum of understanding signed in 2023 among TVA, Type One, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. At the time, the three parties noted “that fusion has the potential to become an attractive carbon-free power generation technology” and had “an interest in the successful development and commercialization of economic and practical fusion energy technologies.”
In February 2024, Type One announced plans to relocate its headquarters from Madison, Wis., to the Bull Run site, which was selected as the location for building the company’s first in situ stellarator testbed, Infinity One.
According to Type One, Infinity One will verify important aspects of the Infinity Two fusion pilot plant design and operating efficiency, reliability, maintainability, and affordability.
Infinity Two: Earlier this year, Type One and TVA signed a cooperative agreement to jointly develop plans for the Infinity Two power plant, and in July the companies signed the first set of commercial contracts related to Project Infinity.
Under the contracts, TVA, through its Power Service Shops facility in Muscle Shoals, Ala., and with support from other locations, will assist in the development of tailored welding and fabrication techniques for the Infinity One stellarator testbed. The manufacturing and construction methods developed for Infinity One will then be applied to the building of Infinity Two.
Type One said that Infinity Two is being developed using today’s existing materials and fundamental fusion technologies to support the near-term deployment of the stellarator technology.
Quotables: “TVA is a leader in pursuing advanced nuclear technologies we need to power America’s economic prosperity and fuel artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and advanced manufacturing,” said Don Moul, TVA president and CEO. “We are strategically partnering with innovative companies like Type One Energy to advance the development of nuclear technologies, and I am excited about the possibility of the first U.S. commercial stellarator fusion power plant being built in the Tennessee Valley.”
“TVA is a best-in-class energy utility that knows how to build, operate, and maintain complex power generation technologies,” said Christofer Mowry, Type One Energy’s CEO. “This LOI with TVA, and the role it establishes for Type One Energy as the fusion technology provider for their Infinity Two project, is therefore fully aligned with our goal of pursuing the lowest-risk approach to commercializing fusion energy.”
“Tennessee is ready-made to lead America’s energy independence, and today’s announcement further strengthens our position as a leader in safe, clean, and reliable energy,” said Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee. “We are proud that the first U.S. commercial stellarator fusion project could be developed in Oak Ridge, creating high-quality jobs and driving continued economic growth and opportunity for Tennesseans.”
