A virtual museum featuring the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant was developed through a collaboration between DOE and the University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research’s Kentucky Research Consortium for Energy and Environment.
A virtual museum featuring the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant was developed through a collaboration between DOE and the University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research’s Kentucky Research Consortium for Energy and Environment.

PADUCAH, Ky. – A virtual museum cataloging the history of EM’s Paducah Site is available online here.

The virtual museum commemorates an important era in western Kentucky’s history. The Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PGDP) was built in the 1950s to enrich uranium for military nuclear reactors and weapons development, and later supported the nation’s commercial nuclear power program.

The site manufactured low-enriched uranium, which was further enriched and processed at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Piketon, Ohio and the K-25 plant in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

Upon entering the virtual museum, visitors can learn about the processes used at the PGDP, as well as find detailed information on why Paducah was chosen as an enrichment site.

Virtual museumgoers can also expect to find a comprehensive history of the PGDP ranging from how it all began, life at the plant, timelines, missions at the site and more. The virtual museum incorporates personal accounts from past employees on what it was like to work at the PGDP through the museum’s “Faces of PGDP.” Another feature of the virtual museum is the Sights and Sounds section, which highlights dozens of photos and videos that encompass the rich history of the site.

“After World War II, nations around the world began advancing their nuclear arms capabilities, and Paducah played a vital role in protecting our nation’s interests and securities against these foreign threats,” EM Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office Site Manager Joel Bradburne said. “The virtual museum honors the legacy of the many workers whose hard work contributed to the advancement of science and the protection of our national security during those uncertain times.”

By the 1960s, the Paducah plant was dedicated to supplying enriched uranium for nuclear power plants and operated within that mission until 2013. The plant was returned to DOE in 2014.

The virtual museum was developed in collaboration with the University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research’s Kentucky Research Consortium for Energy and Environment, through funding provided by DOE.