350-MWe nuclear reactor to turn dead US coal mine into power plant

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has issued a Letter of Intent to Type One Energy to develop a 350-megawatt-electric (MWe) nuclear fusion power plant, named Infinity Two, at the site of the decommissioned Bull Run Fossil Plant near Knoxville, Tennessee. This project aims to repurpose the retired coal plant’s existing infrastructure, such as grid connections and access to cooling water, to support a commercial fusion facility expected to be operational by the mid-2030s. The Infinity Two plant will utilize stellarator fusion technology, which employs a complex, twisted magnetic field configuration to contain plasma, offering stable, steady-state, and high-efficiency operation—advantages over the more common tokamak design. The collaboration between TVA and Type One Energy builds on earlier agreements and commercial contracts under “Project Infinity,” including the development of a smaller stellarator testbed called Infinity One. TVA’s Power Service Shops are assisting in creating specialized welding and fabrication techniques for this prototype, which will