Radiant Nuclear announced Monday afternoon that it will build its first nuclear microreactor manufacturing facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, abandoning plans for a controversial project near Bar Nunn, after months of heated debate over spent nuclear fuel storage.
The decision comes after Radiant repeatedly warned Wyoming officials that regulatory uncertainty could drive the company elsewhere.
Radiant announced Monday it will build a factory on portions of the historic K-27 and K-29 Manhattan Project sites, with construction beginning in early 2026. The company plans to deliver its first mass-produced semitrailer-sized Kaleidos microreactor by 2028 and scale up to producing 50 reactors annually within a few years.
"We choose Oak Ridge, Tennessee, because of their strong workforce, the community's rich nuclear heritage and the public's second-to-none nuclear IQ," said Tori Shivanandan, Radiant's chief operating officer. "Just as importantly, the state's business-friendly environment gave us the immediate regulatory certainty we needed to move fast."
The decision comes after months of consideration, company officials say.
"We are absolutely looking at our second and third choices,” said Ray Wert, Radiant's vice president of communications, in a June interview with Cowboy State Daily. "We're hopeful that Wyoming is going to be the right location for us. But it's all dependent on whether or not the state is interested in having us."
Regulatory Roadblock
In a letter to the editor sent to Cowboy State Daily on Monday, Radiant Senior Director of Operations Matt Wilson explained the company had spent months in "open dialogue" with Wyoming officials about building the factory in Natrona County near Bar Nunn.
"Recent commercial wins, our growing work with the U.S. military, and the speed at which Radiant is moving towards successfully turning on our first reactor next year, all demanded a turnkey location where we could be quickly up and running to meet customer demand," Wilson said. "Given that, this week we had to make a very tough decision to site our first factory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, instead of Wyoming."
Wilson said the decision ultimately came down to regulatory certainty.
Wyoming law currently allows spent fuel storage only at operating reactor sites, not at manufacturing facilities.
Radiant's business model requires returning reactors back from deployment for refueling and temporarily storing used fuel in above-ground containers at its factory.
"Radiant was only seeking to safely and temporarily store used fuel from Wyoming-built reactors returned from deployment," Wilson said. "Sadly, Wyoming's law currently does not accommodate that model."
The company conducted community polling and door-to-door conversations that it says showed Natrona County was supportive of the investment, Wilson said. But legislative opposition proved insurmountable.
Local Opposition
The project faced intense criticism from Bar Nunn residents and key legislators throughout 2025.
Rep. Bill Allemand, R-Midwest, delivered a scathing critique of the project at a Natrona County Commission meeting in June, telling commissioners that residents "overwhelmingly oppose it."
"The people of Bar Nunn do not want this in their backyard," Allemand told Cowboy State Daily in June. "I really like nuclear energy, but my constituents do not want it stored in their backyard. And I will do as my constituents say."
Allemand argued there was "no benefit for the state of Wyoming, for Natrona County or for Bar Nunn" and predicted the project would face an "uphill battle in the Legislature."
Bar Nunn Mayor Peter Boyer had supported the project, telling Cowboy State Daily he believed it would benefit the community despite acknowledging opposition.
"I think it would be a good thing for the town. I do," Boyer said in a July interview. "There are some who are for, there are some who are against, and some, they don't even know. It's kind of a lot of different camps here. I think overall it'll be a good thing for the community."
The project would have started with around 70 jobs and ramped up to more than 200 at full production, according to company officials. Natrona County commissioners had approved Radiant's application for a $25 million state grant for infrastructure despite some public opposition at hearings.
Political Fallout
In response to the news Monday, state Sen. Ed Cooper, R-Ten Sleep, told Cowboy State Daily that, "This is a sad day for Wyoming."
Cooper said members of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus and its vocal opposition to nuclear projects need to be held accountable for erasing years' worth of economic development work aimed at bringing high-paying manufacturing jobs to Wyoming.
"Other companies are looking at Wyoming," said Cooper, adding that the message to them is that, "Wyoming isn't open for business."
David Madison can be reached at david@cowboystatedaily.com.
