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.
Portsmouth Photo Gallery
An excavator operator fills a dump truck near one of two cells being built at the On-Site Waste Disposal Facility at the Portsmouth Site.
Portsmouth News
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Workers have begun demolishing the massive X-333 Process Building, achieving a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management priority to begin demolition of the second of the Portsmouth Site’s three former uranium process buildings. November 18 , 2025November 18, 2025
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Public tour participants heard firsthand accounts from past employees of the former gaseous diffusion plants at the Portsmouth and Paducah sites this year. November 18, 2025November 18, 2025
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As the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management works to enable American energy and security, innovative approaches and strong partnerships at the Portsmouth and Paducah sites drive efforts to transform liabilities into assets to help unleash nuclear power.September 30, 2025
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U.S. Department of Energy officials and Paducah, Kentucky, community members take part in a meeting of the annual Paducah Chamber of Commerce Fly-In. September 23, 2025September 23, 2025
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Career longevity has come into focus recently at the Portsmouth Site, where 17 of the more than 2,000 contractor workers there have marked over 50 years of service, with one employee at 56 years. September 16, 2025.September 16, 2025
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The Portsmouth Paducah Project Office is modernizing its depleted uranium hexafluoride conversion facilities by installing a new system designed to significantly enhance safety, improve efficiency and reduce operational pauses. September 2, 2025September 2, 2025
Acting Site Manager
Reinhard Knerr is the acting 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
FY24 Requested (in the millions) | FY24 Enacted (in the millions) | FY25 Requested (in the millions) | FY25 Enacted (in the millions) | FY26 Requested (in the millions) |
| $493 | $580 | $600 | $593 | $582 |
For more information on the Office of Environmental Management's budget process and performance check out the Budget & Performance page.