Kentucky Nuclear Group Visit Highlights Paducah’s Role in America’s Energy Future

Kentucky Nuclear Energy Development Authority members pose for a photo with Portsmouth Paducah Project Office staff and community leaders during a recent Paducah Site tour.

PADUCAH, Ky. — Leaders from the Portsmouth Paducah Project Office (PPPO) met with representatives from the Kentucky Nuclear Energy Development Authority (KNEDA) during their first visit to the Paducah Site.

The visit underscored the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EM) Paducah Site’s growing role in the nation’s energy renaissance and its prime location for reindustrialization in conjunction with the local community’s vision.

Portsmouth Paducah Project Office Manager Joel Bradburne, right, speaks during a Paducah Site tour with members of the Kentucky Nuclear Energy Development Authority, who visited the site to explore its potential role in the future of nuclear energy and reindustrialization.

KNEDA was established in 2024 with unanimous support by the Kentucky legislature to serve as the nonregulatory, trusted state agency on nuclear energy issues and development. The authority supports and enables the development of nuclear energy across Kentucky collaboratively to enhance the economy, support economic development opportunities and increase energy education. The organization has a unique interest in the Paducah Site and has engaged the community to prepare resources for a future workforce.

“We knew it was important to host the first in-person Kentucky Nuclear Energy Development Authority in Paducah, where nuclear in Kentucky got its start,” said KNEDA Chair Rodney Andrews, who also serves as the director of the University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research. “We felt it was important for KNEDA members to start our visit with a tour of the Paducah Site, where we learned about its important role in our nation’s history, as well as the work currently done at the site for redevelopment and expanded economic opportunities.”

As cleanup accelerates and progress continues toward transferring the first parcel of land at the Paducah Site for reuse, stakeholders like KNEDA are partnering with EM and the community to ensure Paducah, Kentucky, is a part of the future of energy.

Federal Project Director William Wessel leads a tour with Kentucky Nuclear Energy Development Authority members at the Paducah Site.

“Working with our stakeholders, with the support of organizations like KNEDA, is essential to realizing the cleanup and reindustrialization goals for the Paducah Site,” PPPO Manager Joel Bradburne said. “KNEDA and other parties interested in the future of the site will play an important role as we continue to assist the community in realizing their vision.”

In addition to the strategic partnerships with KNEDA and others, EM supports reindustrialization studies with local organizations to generate a roadmap that identifies pathways for commercial development and fosters workforce growth for the site and region.

The Paducah Site continues to conduct cleanup activities in accordance with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act for the safe cleanup and future demolition of the former uranium enrichment facilities.

-Contributor: Dylan Nichols