Portsmouth 101 Video 2021
Office of Environmental Management
In August 1952, the Atomic Energy Commission, a predecessor agency to DOE, selected a tract of land in the Ohio Valley along the Scioto River in Pike County, Ohio, for the site of the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant (GDP), the third of three GDPs in the United States. In 1956, the plant began enriching uranium for nuclear weapons. In the 1960s, Portsmouth’s mission changed to focus on producing fuel for commercial nuclear power plants and other national security applications. An extensive environmental cleanup program began at the 3,777-acre site in 1989, with deactivation and decommissioning activities initiated in 2011. Watch the video above to learn more about Portsmouth.
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Major Contractor(s)
- Enterprise Technical Assistance Services, Inc. (ETAS)
- Fluor-BWXT Portsmouth, LLC
- Mid-America Conversion Services, LLC
- Portsmouth Mission Alliance, LLC

Demolition of the Portsmouth X-326 Process Building started in May 2021.
Portsmouth News
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EM has successfully commenced a major disposal effort for a key uranium-enrichment byproduct with the recent arrival of 60 uranium-oxide storage cylinders by rail at a licensed facility in west Texas.
May 9, 2023
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Just in time for Earth Day, DOE named EM’s Portsmouth Site and Idaho Cleanup Project (ICP) as Green Fleet Award recipients last week for their exceptional efforts in ordering the most light-duty zero-emissions vehicles (ZEV) in fiscal 2023.
April 25, 2023
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Deputy Energy Secretary David Turk presented EM two Project Management Awards during a ceremony last week, recognizing exceptional results for complex projects.
April 18, 2023
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DOE EM PPPO issued an Expression of Interest (EOI) seeking industry input for operationally mature technologies
to support the potential reuse of radiologically surface-contaminated nickel removed from the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant (GDP).
April 12, 2023
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Workers are moving nearly 5,000 tons of equipment from the X-333 Process Building to a demolition pad where the X-326 Process Building once stood at EM’s Portsmouth Site.
February 28, 2023
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EM has selected Reinhard Knerr, manager of the Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO), to serve as deputy manager of the Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office (PPPO) in Lexington, Kentucky, effective Jan. 29.
January 17, 2023
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EM Senior Advisor William “Ike” White recently joined elected officials, local stakeholders and nearly 2,000 employees at the Portsmouth Site to celebrate the gaseous diffusion plant’s 70th anniversary.
December 6, 2022
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EM’s Portsmouth Site recently evaluated the use of electric mowers to provide a safer, greener future for grounds maintenance activities.
December 6, 2022
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EM’s Portsmouth Site marked its 70th anniversary on Monday with its “Past, Present, Future” celebration.
November 22, 2022
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Most people may never get the opportunity to work with family members, but it’s been a harmonious family affair for a trio of brothers at the Portsmouth Site, who have worked together closely for the past 10 years.
November 22, 2022
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