By Auggie Brown
Glasgow News 1
Tennessee Valley Authority, the State of Tennessee and the United Kingdom are strengthening a partnership aimed at speeding up the commercial deployment of fusion energy.
Tennessee Valley Authority is the power provider for the Glasgow Electric Plant Board.
Officials announced the expanded collaboration on Sept. 14, 2026, saying it will focus on fusion supply chains, workforce development and regulatory pathways designed to support safe and rapid commercial scale-up.
Fusion energy is a process that involves combining two smaller nuclei into a single nucleus, according to the United States Department of Energy website. This is the same process that powers the sun and other stars.
Fusion energy has long been pursued as a secure source of abundant power and is now moving from laboratory research toward commercial deployment, according to the partners.
Both Tennessee and the United Kingdom have positioned themselves as early leaders in building the foundation needed to bring fusion plants online.
The collaboration builds on ongoing fusion projects in both Tennessee and the U.K., including Project Infinity in Tennessee and the UK Infinity Fusion Consortium.
Those efforts link expertise from Type One Energy, the Tennessee Valley Authority, Tokamak Energy, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the UK Atomic Energy Authority and other partners across the fusion supply chain.
Officials say Tennessee’s fusion-specific licensing framework, enacted in June 2026, mirrors the United Kingdom’s proportionate approach under the UK Energy Act 2023.
They say that alignment is intended to ensure regulatory pathways that support safe and rapid commercial scale-up of fusion power.
Under the new partnership, the parties plan to explore cooperation in several areas.
Those include strengthening fusion supply chains and advanced manufacturing, developing the fusion fuel cycle and expanding scientific and technical exchanges among research institutions.
Other focus areas include engagement among utilities, developers, investors and industrial partners on siting, interconnection and offtake planning.
Workforce development, apprenticeships and talent exchanges are also part of the agenda, along with coordination on fusion regulation, licensing and safety frameworks.
The partners also expect to pursue joint conferences, forums and other activities to support global fusion sector growth.
TVA Interim President and CEO Mike Skaggs said TVA is committed to working with developers, industry and government partners to bring fusion projects online in the Tennessee Valley while providing workforce and economic opportunities for local communities.
He said strengthening collaboration with Tennessee’s research institutions and partners in the United Kingdom will help accelerate pathways to deployment of what could become a future source of reliable, abundant energy.
Key Facts
– Tennessee, TVA and the United Kingdom announced a strengthened fusion energy partnership on Sept. 14, 2026
– The collaboration aims to accelerate commercial fusion deployment
– Priorities include supply chains, workforce development and regulatory pathways
– The effort builds on projects like Project Infinity and the UK Infinity Fusion Consortium
– TVA Interim President and CEO Mike Skaggs says fusion could bring workforce and economic opportunities
– TVA supplies power to parts of Barren County, tying the fusion push to local customers
– Tennessee’s fusion-specific licensing framework mirrors the United Kingdom’s approach under the UK Energy Act 2023
– Partners will coordinate on safety, licensing and global fusion sector growth
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