(IDAHO FALLS, Idaho) — The Idaho National Laboratory will play a leading role in accelerating America’s advanced nuclear energy future as part of the Intermountain-West Nuclear Energy Corridor (INEC) Tech Hub, a multistate, economic development initiative selected for a five-year, $31 million federal grant through the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration.
The grant, along with $9 million in matching funds and investments, will bring more than $40 million into the Idaho-Wyoming region.
The Idaho Advanced Energy Consortium (IAEC), which will administer the grant award, announced the award earlier Monday, July 20. By bringing together over 45 regional partners, the INEC Tech Hub is critical part of a national effort to strengthen U.S. energy security, by expanding advanced manufacturing, and meeting rapidly growing U.S. electricity demand.
INL, a founding partner in the IAEC, will help lead the work to scale advanced nuclear technologies, enhance America’s nuclear-ready workforce, and develop key parts of the nation’s nuclear energy supply chain.
INL’s role: From innovation to deployment
“This investment recognizes what we’ve long known at INL, that advanced nuclear energy is essential to powering America’s future,” said INL Director John Wagner. “This Tech Hub brings together the capabilities, infrastructure and partnerships needed to move from research and development to deployment at scale.”
Through the INEC Tech Hub, INL will support projects designed to remove the biggest barriers to nuclear energy expansion. Key focus areas include:
- Strengthening U.S. energy independence by reducing reliance on foreign fuel sources and building a self-sufficient domestic fuel supply.
- Accelerating commercialization timelines by helping private industry partners navigate regulation requirements, engage communities, apply advanced construction and manufacturing techniques, and demonstrate technologies more rapidly.
- Supporting high-quality jobs through expanded and new workforce development training programs in engineering, manufacturing and skilled trades.
State, regional economic impact
The Tech Hub is expected to deliver significant economic benefits, including:
- Hundreds of high-paying energy jobs in the Intermountain West over the next five years.
- Thousands of additional nuclear industry jobs nationwide.
- The initiative will also help lower long-term energy costs and strengthen grid reliability and energy security across the region.
“What we’re building here is bigger than any one lab, any one company, or any one community,” said Hope Morrow, Workforce and Economic Development programs manager at INL. “The INEC Tech Hub is what American innovation looks like when everyone brings their best, and the people of the Intermountain West are going to see the benefits in jobs, opportunity and long-term energy security.”
NEWS MEDIA CONTACTS:
Taylor Wilhelm, (321) 442-3055, taylor.wilhelm@inl.gov
Sarah Neumann, (208) 520-1651, sarah.neumann@inl.gov
