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.
Paducah Photo Gallery
Crews at the Paducah Site pause to discuss how to best proceed with demolition of one of the 33 inactive facilities demolished earlier this year. The safe demolition of unused facilities has been ongoing at the Paducah Site in recent years as the cleanup mission progresses to prepare the site for reindustrialization.
Paducah News
-
As members of the next-generation workforce arrive at the Paducah Site, they will undergo a new training by longtime employees covering a topic that may be unfamiliar to the incoming workers: the site’s past uranium enrichment operations. June 2, 2026June 2, 2026
-
Two universities in Ohio and Kentucky are collaborating to build STEM interest in local high school students and inspire them to pursue careers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Portsmouth and Paducah sites. May 26, 2026May 26, 2026
-
Two educators in communities near the U.S. Department of Energy’s Portsmouth, Ohio, and Paducah, Kentucky, locations are maximizing resources to help cultivate the next generation of talent to advance the nation’s energy sector and future redevelopment at the DOE sites. May 19, 2026May 19, 2026
-
Decades of uranium enrichment operations at two former gaseous diffusion plants yielded thousands of cylinders of depleted uranium hexafluoride, or DUF6, that accumulated in storage yards. April 21, 2026April 21, 2026
-
Successful cleanup and reuse efforts underway at the Oak Ridge, Paducah, and Portsmouth sites are vividly illustrating the Office of Environmental Management’s ability to successfully deliver its vision of nuclear restoration and revitalization across the DOE complex, federal and contractor leaders said. March 17, 2026March 17, 2026
-
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Portsmouth and Paducah sites recently released annual reports of their environmental monitoring and compliance activities central to cleanup as they transition from nuclear remediation to nuclear renaissance. March 10, 2026March 10, 2026
Acting Site Manager
Erik Olds is the acting Site Manager of the Department of Energy's Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office. 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 Conversion Project at both locations.
Click here to view full bio.
High-Level Budget Information
FY25 Requested (in the thousands) | FY25 Enacted (in the thousands) | FY26 Requested (in the thousands) | FY26 Enacted (in the thousands) | FY27 Requested (in the thousands) |
| $330 | $344 | $332 | $371 | $374 |
For more information on the Office of Environmental Management's budget process and performance check out the Budget & Performance page.