Portsmouth Reflects on 70 Years of X-333 as Site Gears Up for Nuclear Renaissance

Photos of the carpenters, millwrights, ironworkers, painters, laborers, operating engineers and concrete finishers celebrating the end of construction of the X-333 Process Building were published in the site’s newspaper on July 15, 1955.

Safe, compliant cleanup of massive structure helps pave the way for site redevelopment

PIKETON, Ohio — The Portsmouth Site announced the start of structural demolition on the X-333 Process Building last month, almost 70 years to the day it was turned over to the Atomic Energy Commission, a predecessor agency to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), to assume the facility’s role in fueling America’s fight in the Cold War.

As the DOE Office of Environmental Management (EM) cleanup makes way for the Portsmouth Site’s part in the nation’s nuclear renaissance, EM team members reflected on the immense X-333 structure that served as the entry point to enrich uranium needed for national defense.

At the time of construction, the site’s three process buildings were among the largest facilities in the world. X-333, the largest building at the site, covers 33 acres of land and stands 82 feet high.

“My grandfather was part of the team who poured the concrete for the footers in the process buildings,” Portsmouth Site Lead Jeremy Davis said. “He could not share his work with the family due to the classified nature of the site during the Cold War, so he always told me that he was working at the Purina Dog Food Factory. When I saw the iconic water towers, I believed him. It wasn’t until years later when my uncle showed me around that I understood the importance of the site for the community and the nation.”

Portsmouth Site construction crews gather for a safety meeting before their shift begins with a sign in the background reminding personnel, “If you are not a safe worker we do not want you on this job.”

The site wasn’t just powering the nation’s defense; it was transforming a community. At the peak of construction in 1954, as many as 22,500 construction workers were employed. Four years earlier, the population of Pike County, the home of the site, was just under 15,000 people.

Mike Milam began work as a chemical engineer at the site in 1968, spending a good portion of his early career in X-333. Milam worked at the site until he retired in 2005.

“From 1968 until the mid-1970s, all the process operators and building management were from the original startup crews,” said Milam. “There were so many great stories, but what was most apparent in listening to these men was that they learned how to operate much of the equipment by their own intuition, and trial and error. It would have been very intimidating and exciting starting up this massive operation with very little of an operating guide.”

A view from the X-333 Process Building cell floor during construction. The facility included the largest equipment to handle the start of the uranium enrichment process.

The present-day workforce at the site is responsible for safely taking down this giant in history and preparing the site for future development.

“The construction of the Portsmouth Site helped this community grow, and now, as we continue towards safe demolition of the site, we are focused on making the site ready for new opportunities for future generations,” Federal Project Director Christy Brown said.

Brown’s family farm is located near the site. She was raised there, and family members still live on the property. As a member of the community, Brown not only understands the importance of the cleanup but also has a vested interest in ensuring its safe and compliant completion.

Demolition of X-333 is expected to be completed by 2031.

The Portsmouth Paducah Project Office conducts cleanup at the Portsmouth Site in accordance with a consent decree with the state of Ohio and director’s final findings and orders with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

-Contributor: Cindi Remy