Pivotal Manufacturing has acquired 140 acres at the Phipps Bend Industrial Park in Tennessee — the former site of an abandoned nuclear power plant that was halted at just 40% completion, leaving more than $2.6 billion in debt.

The company has signed a long-term ground lease with Highland Materials to develop an advanced polysilicon manufacturing facility, alongside a campus of additional energy-related projects.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Highland’s facility will begin operations with an annual production capacity of 16,000 metric tons of solar-grade polysilicon at “less than standard cost.” Within four years, output is expected to reach 20,000 metric tons annually — equivalent to supplying materials for approximately 11 GW of solar cells.

Much of the site’s existing critical infrastructure — including a high-voltage interconnection, flexible zoning, and a development-friendly permitting environment — remains from the original nuclear power plant project, offering a unique foundation for large-scale energy manufacturing.

Highland Materials, a U.S.-based producer of purified polysilicon as well as aluminum and silicon alloys, is developing a next-generation production platform to meet rising domestic and global demand for clean energy technologies. The company selected Phipps Bend for its robust power infrastructure, strategic location within the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) region, and its readiness for high-precision industrial operations.

Pivotal and Highland are collaborating with local, regional, and federal stakeholders — including Hawkins County, the Tennessee Valley Authority, Holston Electric Cooperative, and the State of Tennessee — to deliver infrastructure, incentives, and long-term economic benefits.

The project is expected to create over 400 high-paying, full-time manufacturing jobs, supporting both near-term and long-term growth of the region’s clean energy economy.