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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The U.S. Department of Energy recently bestowed Office of Environmental Management employees and teams with seven Secretary’s Honor Awards, recognizing their exceptional leadership, innovation and commitment to restoring and revitalizing sites as DOE cleans the legacy of the past to power America’s future.October 6, 2026
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The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management University Programs are building a workforce pipeline to help complete the legacy nuclear cleanup mission.October 6, 2026
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Cleanup teams recently created a new database to keep equipment organized, save money and stick to the schedule of safely and efficiently demolishing a 33-acre legacy uranium enrichment building at the Portsmouth Site.September 29, 2026
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Leaders from the nation’s gaseous diffusion plant complex participated in the “Enriching Communities – A Renewed Purpose for America’s GDP Complex” panel at the National Cleanup Workshop.September 22, 2026
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The U.S. Department of Energy’s Portsmouth Site reached a significant milestone in the X-333 Process Building demolition when crews safely took down the 66,000-square-foot southwest corner of the 33-acre facility.September 22, 2026
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What happens when information technology professionals from different organizations are placed on the same team with a shared goal?September 1, 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) |
| $600 | $593 | $582 | $580 | $597 |
For more information on the Office of Environmental Management's budget process and performance check out the Budget & Performance page.