Oak Ridge crews knock down the K-1006 Building at the East Tennessee Technology Park.
Oak Ridge crews knock down the K-1006 Building at the East Tennessee Technology Park.

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – Demolition is underway on the last laboratory facility remaining at Oak Ridge's East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP), as EM moves toward completing all major teardowns at the former uranium enrichment complex by the end of this year.

EM and cleanup contractor UCOR are demolishing the K-1006 Building, which was constructed in 1962 to support operations at the former Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant. The structure is among the few unneeded buildings still standing at the site.

As part of a deactivation process, teams removed asbestos and other waste from the building. Asbestos abatement presented challenges due to densely packed asbestos piping, making it difficult to access, but crews finished the work successfully.

An EM crew gathers before performing deactivation work inside the K-1006 Building to prepare the facility for demolition.
An EM crew gathers before performing deactivation work inside the K-1006 Building to prepare the facility for demolition.
A view of Oak Ridge's K-1006 Building before demolition. The building was constructed in 1962 to support operations at the site.
A view of Oak Ridge's K-1006 Building before demolition. The building was constructed in 1962 to support operations at the site.

From 1998 to 2019, a portion of K-1006 was leased to Material and Chemistry Laboratory, Inc., a commercial applied research company providing consulting and analytical testing for industrial forensics, materials characterization, and environmental chemistry.

EM is transforming the former uranium enrichment complex into a multi-use industrial park, national park, and conservation area. The cleanup program has already transferred almost 1,300 acres at ETTP for economic development, with another 600 acres slated for transfer in the years ahead. EM has also set aside more than 100 acres for historic preservation and placed more than 3,000 acres in conservation for community recreational use.