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Wlaf1450Rapid growth in the “energy race” will result in jobs for Campbell Countians
By Charlotte Underwood
LAFOLLETTE, TN (WLAF)- Nuclear energy companies are expanding in Oak Ridge with $12 billion in investments over the past 20 months. This rapid growth in the “energy race” will result in jobs for Campbell Countians, according to Mike Magill, president of the newly formed Oak Ridge Corridor Development Corporation. Magill was Tuesday’s guest speaker at the Campbell County Rotary Club.
He previously served part time in the Workforce Development Office of Roane State Community College after retiring from a 42-year career working in business and government. He came out of retirement once again to get the Oak Ridge Corridor Development Corporation “up and running.”
The past 22 years of his career have been in the “private sector restructuring companies, moving businesses into new markets and expanding operations to other states and countries.”
He said stepping into this role “is a chance to give back to the community I call home and serve the people of East Tennessee.”
He spoke on how “important it is for the United States to win the Artificial Intelligence (AI) race and energy race” and discussed “all things nuclear going on in Oak Ridge and how it could affect Campbell County. It will affect job opportunities, housing, and possibly companies locating in Campbell County.”
According to Magill, in less than two years, there has been a nuclear energy boom in Oak Ridge with around 11 companies moving into the region. These companies will be operating in multiple areas of nuclear energy.
“It may be in enrichment, may be fuel production, it may be in recycling spent nuclear fuel, it may be in small modular reactors,” Magill said.
He said this growth was imperative to keep up with the energy demand and what is now an energy race.
“Can we become energy efficient and energy dominant. As the world grows, how are we prepared to meet that growth? Everything takes more energy these days.
We are all using much more energy, how does that impact us and who is in control of the energy we use? That’s the questions and focus of the Oak Ridge Corridor Development Corporation,” Magill said.
“The new technology is small modular reactors with much smaller containment areas. They have new cooling technology, it’s very different from the technology that has been used over the past 40 years,” Magill said.
He said with all the growth, one of the challenges for the area was to find a place for all the new workers to live. As construction ramps up with some of these companies, temporary jobs are being created, but according to Magill, over the next three years, there should be around 5,000 permanent jobs resulting out of this nuclear energy boom.
Rotary President and Roane State Community College Campbell County Campus Director Sharon Wilson said she and TCAT Jacksboro President Debbie Petree were excited about the job opportunities this would provide for students.
“This will create multiple job opportunities for Campbell County; project managers, welders, traditional manufacturing, pipe fitters, machinists, assembly, construction workers, some will be in the nuclear field, nuclear technology because they need operators of the equipment, there will be some in chemical, some jobs in environmental, so all across the board…And it’s amazing the wages these companies pay from $70,000 to $135,000,” Magill said, adding that some of these companies were hiring project managers right now and that chemical engineering students from Roane State were already being hired as well.
“This is exciting for our community and surrounding communities,” Wilson said. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED-05/20/2026-6AM)