A real estate investment group plans to transform an unfinished nuclear power plant site into an advanced manufacturing park, based on the new polysilicon manufacturer Highland Materials.

The original site of the Phipsbend Nuclear Power Plant in Hawkins County, Tennessee, covering approximately 140 acres, is planned to be transformed into a "high-power, heavy-duty infrastructure destination. The nuclear power plant already has a regional transmission interconnection line owned by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and a 1-megawatt solar project completed in 2017.

David Robbins, Managing Partner of Pivot Manufacturing Partners, said, "We are honored to invest in a unique location like Phipps Bend to support the development of Northeast Tennessee. The park integrates excellent critical mission infrastructure, rare high-voltage interconnection systems, and a licensed environment influenced by nuclear heritage - all located in an area eager for transformational capital investment. We are honored to collaborate with Highland Materials to advance their planned factory construction, and look forward to continuing to work with all local partners to make Phipps Bend the preferred destination for the next generation of high-power industrial revival. ”

The Phipsbend Nuclear Power Plant was initially developed by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in the late 1970s as a nuclear power plant. After the Three Mile Island nuclear accident, the project was cancelled in the early 1980s but was ultimately not completed. Although the nuclear power plant has never been put into operation, it still retains important historical heritage: important public infrastructure, strategic position in the TVA transmission network, and regional development concepts rooted in energy intensive industries.

At least in the past year, there have been rumors that Highland Materials will establish a new polysilicon product factory at Phipps Bend. The company obtained a qualified advanced energy project credit (48C) of $255.6 million under the Inflation Reduction Act last year. At that time, the company stated that its initial annual production of solar grade polycrystalline silicon would be 16000 tons, and it would expand to 20000 tons, equivalent to producing 11 gigawatts of solar cells annually.

Richard Lasseter, CEO of Highland Materials, stated that partnering with Pivot Manufacturing Partners is a crucial step in driving the development of Highland's polycrystalline silicon manufacturing plant in the Phipps Bend project. We are excited about the market opportunities, job opportunities created, capital investment, and continued support from the community and state government that this project brings. ”