Nuclear solutions provider BWX Technologies, Inc. (BWXT) announced a $714.5 million expansion to its facility in Jonesborough, Tenn., to produce High Purity Depleted Uranium (HDPU) metal for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). The company expects the project to create 181 jobs, more than doubling the current local workforce.
The project is supported by an economic development grant from the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD).
The announcement comes nearly one year after NNSA awarded BWXT a 10-year contract valued at $1.6 billion to build an HPDU manufacturing plant at its Jonesborough site.
The latest development represents the third project for BWXT and the 12th overall to utilize funding from the Nuclear Energy Fund, which has resulted in nearly 4,000 new jobs and more than $10 billion in capital investment, according to TNECD. Announced in September 2025, the first two BWXT projects included plans to create 60 new jobs and invest $45 million in a new Oak Ridge facility, along with 198 new jobs and a $122 million investment to expand the company's existing site in Erwin.
“Securing our nation’s energy independence is one of our top priorities in Tennessee and BWXT has been an outstanding partner in advancing that mission,” Deputy Gov. and TNECD Commissioner Stuart C. McWhorter said. "This project marks another significant investment in our growing nuclear ecosystem.”
BWXT is a manufacturing and engineering company that provides nuclear solutions for global security, clean energy, nuclear medicine, space exploration and environmental restoration. BWXT owns and operates 19 manufacturing facilities globally and its 14 partnerships support the U.S. and Canadian governments at more than two dozen additional locations.
