Nuclear Opportunities Workshop (NOW)
Tennessee’s Premier Nuclear Industry Gathering
The Nuclear Opportunities Workshop (NOW) is an annual event focused on all aspects of the nuclear ecosystem, bringing together stakeholders from across industry, government, research, academia, and the next generation of the workforce to connect, collaborate, and advance what’s next.
WHAT IS NOW?
NOW is ETEC's Nuclear Opportunities Workshop, Tennessee’s premier nuclear industry conference focused on all things nuclear.
In July 2025, ETEC’s 7th annual NOW Conference hosted 1,000 attendees, made up of experts in nuclear fission and fusion energy, national security, radioisotopes, environmental management, policy, regulation, reactors, and workforce development; 70 exhibitors; and 150 students. The total included representatives from 300 companies across 34 states, as well as numerous industry leaders, federal and state officials, and national trade organizations interested in collaborating with nuclear companies in these fields.
The 2 full-day conference and Atomic After Party Reception was held at the Knoxville Convention Center in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee.
The NOW Conference has become a premier platform to showcase the advancements and opportunities within the nuclear industry in Tennessee. The exponential growth of NOW over the past few years underscores Tennessee’s commitment as the nation’s hub for nuclear innovation, driving America’s resurgence as a global leader in nuclear energy.
Countdown to NOW 2026!
Nuclear Opportunities Workshop
August 4-5, 2026
Knoxville Convention Center
NOW has become a vital hub for networking and knowledge exchange among leading professionals in the nuclear industry.
Join us in the Oak Ridge Corridor for this growing, engaging, and informative conference.
LEARN & NETWORK:
Attendee registration is NOW open!
Early Registration:Â March 2 - April 30 - $725
Advanced Registration: May 1 - July 21 - $875
General Registration: July 22 - August 5 - $1,125
Students/Interns/Postdocs:Â $50 or FREE through a Student Engagement Option (details below)
PROMOTE & SUPPORT:
Thanks to all of our 2026 Supporters! Scroll down to see who they are and where they will be during the conference.
Supporting NOW positions your organization at the center of one of the nation’s premier nuclear industry gatherings. Supporters gain strategic opportunities to elevate their brand and engage with leaders from across the nuclear industry, with visibility before, during, and after the conference.
NOW 2026 TIMELINE:
May 1-July 21: Advanced Registration ($875) | REGISTER as an ATTENDEE
July 11, July 17, & July 20: Hotel Blocks Close
July 22-August 5: General Registration ($1,125)
August 4:Â Day 1 NOW Conference at Knoxville Convention Center (KCC)
August 4:Â Atomic After Party (5:00-7:00 at KCC)
August 5:Â Day 2 NOW Conference at KCC
NOW 2026 - AGENDA OVERVIEW
NOW 2026 will feature panel discussions, keynote presentations, and fireside chats on the topics below. Session topics are subject to change prior to the event. Click here to see the 2026 agenda.
DAY ONE – From Strategy to Deployment
- Keynote: Tennessee’s Nuclear Leadership
- Federal Blueprint for America’s Nuclear Comeback
- Tennessee’s Congressional Leadership: Nuclear Priorities
- Securing America’s Nuclear Future: What’s at Stake
- From First Pour to First Power: What It Takes to Deliver
- Lunch & Keynote: Powering the Deployment Decade
- Advanced Reactors in Action
- Fueling the Future: Enrichment and Fabrication
- Fuel Cycle Spotlight: Reprocessing Used Nuclear Fuel
- Fireside Chat: Oak Ridge in Action: Three Missions, One Future
- The U.S. Epicenter for Nuclear: Will We Deliver?
- Atomic After Party Reception
DAY TWO – Innovation, Workforce, and What’s Next
- Fireside Chat: Reclaiming America's Nuclear Leadership
- Fusion: From Physics to Power Markets
- Genesis Mission: Using AI to Win the Race
- Powering the AI Future: The Need for Reliable Power
- From Oak Ridge to the World: The Power of Isotopes
- Lunch & Keynote: The Talent Equation
- Workforce Demand: What Skillsets Are Needed?
- Workforce Supply: An Inventory Overview
- Where Nuclear Gets Built: The Role of States
- Clearing the Path: Accelerating Deployment
- Closing Session: The Road Ahead
STUDENTS, INTERNS & POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHERS
Attend the NOW Conference at a significantly reduced rate.
- Registration: $50, or
- FREE through the Student Engagement Option
Through the Student Engagement Option, earn free registration by sharing a short video or post on social media highlighting interest in attending NOW or a current nuclear-related research project and mention the NOW Conference.
Student Engagement Option Instructions (to attend NOW for free):
- Think of why you want to attend NOW, or about a nuclear-related research project you are working on (please use positive perspectives only).
- Create a 30 second video or draft text and find a image portraying your thoughts.
- Use the #STUDENTETECNOW2026.
- Tag ETEC: @East Tennessee Economic Council (ETEC) on LinkedIn and @easttennesseeeconomiccouncil on Instagram in the post.
- Post on LinkedIn or Instagram, copying the URL of the post.
- Email Chandra on the ETEC staff to obtain the promo code for free registration.
- Register for NOW entering the URL of the post in the registration form.
Note: This free option is available from March 1 - July 24. If students register after July 24, they will need to pay the $50. This fee may be refunded during the conference by showing proof of a video or post made at or live during the NOW Conference on August 4-5 at the Knoxville Convention Center.
COMPANIES REGISTERED TO ATTEND NOW 2026
As of July 13, 2026
Acato Information Management
Accentuate Communication
Adman Electric
Advanced Nuclear Advisors
Advanced Technology Group
Aggregate Technologies
Alliant Corporation
Alpha Safety
AMD
Amentum
American Ceramic Technology
American DND
American Institutes for Research (AIR)
American Museum of Science & Energy (AMSE)
American Nuclear Society (ANS)
AMM
Analysis and Measurement Services (AMS Corp)
Anderson County Government
Andrews Nuclear
Apollo Mechanical
Aquafer Technologies
Arcadis
ARCO/Murray
Argonne National Laboratory
Assystem
Atkinson Consulting
AtkinsRealis
AVANTech
Baker Construction
Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz
Banda Group International
Barge Design Solutions
Barnard Construction
Barnhart Plant Services
Bechtel National
BESCO
BHA Strategy
Blanchard Horton PLLC
Blue Wave AI Labs
Burns & McDonnell
BWRx Studio
BWXT
C.A. Murren and Sons Company
Cadre5
Centrus
Champion Specialty Services
Chevron - Retired
City of Oak Ridge
CNS Y-12
Cocke County Government
Colgate Palmolive
Columbia Energy & Environmental Services
Crate Pros
Cross Company
CTI and Associates
Curtiss-Wright
Deloitte
Design Innovation Architects
Dienamic Tooling Systems
DOE NNSA
DOE Oak Ridge Environmental Management
DOE Office of Science
DOE Office of Science and Technology Policy
East Tennessee Economic Development Agency
East Tennessee Human Resource Agency
Eaton Corporation
ECG Connections
Edgewater Federal Solutions
Edgewater Technical Associates
Edwards Supply
EGS
ENERCON
Energy Communities Alliance (ECA)
EnergySolutions
Enrichment Federal Credit Union
Enveniam
Environmental Alternatives
Envoy Public Labs
FirstBank
Fluor
Forte
Fulcrum Intel/ BHA Strategy
Fusion Enterprises
G Browne & Associates
Gallagher Security
GEL Laboratories
GEM Technologies
Goldbelt Quantum Solutions
Hard Knox Life Advisory
HDR
Hensel Phelps
Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Hoffman & Hoffman
Hoffman Hydronics
HukariAscendent
IBEW Local 270
Idaho Advanced Energy Consortium
Independent Environmental Geochemist
Industrial Board of Coffee County, TN
Ingenium Professional Services
Integration Engineering, PLLC
INTERA
International Federation of Professional & Technical Engineers
Interstates
Isotek, an AtkinsRéalis company
J. Brennon Construction
James Fisher Technologies
JETRO Atlanta
Johnson Service Group
Just Homes Group
K&L Gates
Kairos Power
Keller
Kendall Electric
Kendall Group
Kentucky Office of Energy Policy
Kiewit
Kyoto Fusioneering America Ltd.
Lancs Industries
LATA
LDA Engineering
LeBlanc Financial Alliance
LeCroy Strategic Advisors
Leonardo DRS
LIS Technologies
Longenecker & Associates: A Geosyntec Co
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos Technical Associates
Lynker
Lynx
M&M Technical Services
Mac 5 Technical Services
Management Solutions
Marsh
Master Machine
Materials and Chemistry Laboratory
Matheson
McGriff/MMA
Merchant & Gould,
Merrick & Company
Mesa Associates
Middle Tennessee Electric
Milepost Consulting
Millennitek
Morgan Corporation
Morgan County Economic Development Board
Motlow State Community College
MS Technology
Napakiak Environmental & Construction
Natura Resources
Navarro Research and Engineering
NC State University
Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP
North Wind Group
Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI)
NuScale Power
NYSERDA
Oak Ridge Associated Universities
Oak Ridge Corridor Development Corporation
Oak Ridge Housing Authority (ORHA)
Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation
Office of U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann
Office of U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett
Ohio Northern University
Oklo
Omega Technical Services
Orano USA
ORAU
ORNL (UT-Battelle)
ORTEC | AMETEK
Parsons
Paschal Solutions
Patriot Talent Solutions
PCI Promatec
Pelican Energy Partners
Pellissippi State Community College
Perma-Fix Environmental Services
Phillips Heavy
Pinnacle Financial Partners
Piper Communications
Pro2Serve
PYA
Quantum Containment Systems
Radiant Industries
Radiation Protective Systems by Alpha Safety
Red Castle
ReNuke Services
RIZZO International
RMS Energy Co
Roane County Government
Roane State Community College
Robert Morris Consulting
Rockwell Automation
RSCC Nuclear Technology Program
RSI
S&ME
Sargent & Lundy
Savannah River National Laboratory
Scaled Atomics
Scientific Sales
Sheet Metal Workers Local 5
Skolnik Industries
SMART Local 5
Snap-on Industrial
Spectra Tech
Spotted Cat Consulting
Stanley Consultants
State of Tennessee - Governor's Office
State of TN Board of Regents
State of TN Dept. of Environ. & Conservation
State of TN Dept. of Labor and Workforce Dev.
State of TN Dept. of Economic & Comm. Dev.
State of TN Division of Radiological Health
StatSense
Steve Jones & Associates
Stokes Electric Company
Strata-G
Strategikon Ventures
Street Legal Industries
Structural Technologies
Studsvik
Surveying and Mapping (SAM)
Swagelok North Carolina | East Tennessee
System One
Systematic
TCAT - Harriman
TCAT - Jacksboro - Swiss Technologies
TCAT - Knoxville
TCAT - Upper Cumberland
TechSource
Teledyne Brown Engineering
Tennessee State University
Tennessee STEM Innovation Network
Tennessee Tech University
Tennessee Valley Authority
TFE
the Ingram Group
Thompson Engineering
Three Notch Group
TN Bank
Triangle Enterprises
TRISO-X
TTU
Turnkey Sales
Type One Energy Group
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
UniTech Services Group
United Cleanup Oak Ridge (UCOR)
University of Missiouri
University of TN Knoxville
University of TN Knoxville - Baker School
University of TN Knoxville - Ctr for Ind. Services
University of TN Knoxville - Math Department
University of TN Knoxville - College of Business
US Department of Energy, AMMTO
USRA
Vanderbilt University
Veolia (VNS Federal Services)
Virginia Tech
Westinghouse Electric Company
White & Case
WM Symposia
Young & Company
YTC
INTERESTED IN FUSION SAFETY & REGULATION?
And planning to attend the Nuclear Opportunities Workshop (NOW) in Knoxville?
Consider coming a few days early for the Clean Air Task Force Fusion Safety & Regulation Training Course, taking place July 29-31, 2026.
Co-hosted by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, this three-day course will feature insights from international leaders with hands-on experience at advanced fusion facilities around the world. Through lectures, real-world case studies, and interactive discussions, participants will explore key topics related to fusion safety, regulation, and deployment.
The course also includes an optional extension day on Monday, August 3, with tours of Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The NOW Conference begins Tuesday, August 4.
