In 1950, the Atomic Energy Commission, a predecessor agency to DOE, selected a 3,556-acre tract of government-owned land near Paducah, Kentucky, as the location to construct a second gaseous diffusion uranium enrichment plant (GDP) to support US national security needs. The Paducah GDP enriched uranium from 1952 to 2013 and was the last government-owned uranium enrichment facility operating in the United States. The Paducah GDP produced low-enriched uranium originally as feedstock for nuclear weapons materials and later for commercial nuclear power plants. Watch the video below to learn more about Paducah.
Paducah News
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With the successful cleanup underway at the Oak Ridge Reservation serving as a “North Star,” the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management is entering into a “unique moment”.March 18, 2025
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Cleanup progress at the former Portsmouth and Paducah uranium enrichment plants is helping enable new opportunities for local communities to continue advancing U.S. energy and U.S. security goals, Joel Bradburne said.March 4, 2025
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Calloway County Middle School Team #1 recently won the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) West Kentucky Regional Science BowlMarch 4, 2025
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Interview with Portsmouth Paducah Project Office Manager, Joel Bradburne.March 4, 2025
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Portsmouth Paducah Project Office Employees, Contractors Support Annual Event.February 18, 2025
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The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management successfully completed the majority of its 2024 priorities, advancing critical cleanup work with the support of state, tribal and local partners.January 17, 2025
Joel B. Bradburne was named Manager of the Department of Energy's Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office (PPPO) on December 13, 2021. In this role, he oversees the deactivation and demolition of the former gaseous diffusion facilities at the Portsmouth, Ohio and Paducah, Kentucky sites, and the Depleted Uranium Hexafluoride (DUF6) Conversion Project at both locations.
Click here to view full bio.
High-Level Budget Information
FY22 Enacted (in the millions) | FY23 Request (in the millions) | FY23 Enacted (in the millions) | FY24 Enacted (in the millions) | FY24 Enacted (in the millions) | FY25 Requested (in the millions) |
| $319 | $282 | $330 | $304 | $334 | $330 |
For more information on the Office of Environmental Management's budget process and performance check out the Budget & Performance page.