Oak Ridge, Tenn. – In the early 1990s, an observer looking across the K-25 site would see hundreds of old, vacant buildings that were a window into another age—a time of world war and later an arms face with the Soviet Union. The buildings lay dormant since 1964, many containing radiological contamination and classified equipment used for uranium enrichment.

However, in 1996, Department of Energy’s (DOE) leaders in Oak Ridge envisioned a new future for the site. They created the Department’s first reindustrialization program and rebranded the site as the East Tennessee Technology Park. The mission was simple—clean the site for reuse and economic development by the private sector.

Now that vision is being realized on a large scale. Oak Ridge’s EM program has removed 380 buildings from East Tennessee Technology Park, hundreds of acres have been transferred from government ownership, and dozens of private companies occupy facilities onsite. Recently, some of those companies have worked together to invest in clean energy projects at the site.

Earlier this month, leadership from the DOE’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (EM), URS|CH2M Oak Ridge (UCOR), Restoration Services, Inc., and Vis Solis met to open the site’s third solar array development.

The newest addition adds 1 megawatt of clean, renewable energy to the grid, and it makes use of acreage that would be difficult to convert or prepare for industrial use.

“Today is not only about successful reindustrialization, but it is also a display of successful partnerships,” said Sue Cange, manager of the Oak Ridge Office of EM.  “We look forward to future partnerships and projects, like this one, that allow us to use areas even when we aren’t constructing buildings.”

The project is located on a 5-acre parcel acquired under a long-term commercial lease agreement with the Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee. The power from the solar arrays will be sold to the Tennessee Valley Authority. It will generate enough power to provide electricity to more than 130 average-sized homes and slash greenhouse gases equivalent to the output of more than 200 cars.

More opportunities are being realized as DOE’s EM program and UCOR make progress cleaning the former uranium enrichment site. Private companies and corporations are seeing realistic possibilities locating at the site, and local partners are finding other ways to utilize acreage that isn’t flat and construction-ready.

“UCOR’s predominant mission is stewardship and successful cleanup, but we are doing so without losing sight of the end goal,” said UCOR President and Manager Ken Rueter. “We are embracing industry at site and making land available for reuse.”