Portsmouth

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

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An excavator carrying out work at a disposal facility
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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.
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Employees in protective gear loading panels onto a tractor to dispose of them
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Workers unload a bundle of transite panels from the X-333 Process Building at a ramp at the On-Site Waste Disposal Facility.
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An employee on a lifted crane spraying a blue substance on the side of a building
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Demolition Specialist Jeff Howard sprays a blue fixative to the Portsmouth Site’s X-333 Process Building to maintain dust suppression on the transite panels.
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Aerial view of a groundwater plume site
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Crews excavate soil in the 5-Unit Area Plume at the Portsmouth Site.
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Crews carrying out repairs on the roof of a large building
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Workers use two layers of thick materials to cover the existing roof of the X-330 Process Building at the Portsmouth Site.
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Employee in protective gear uses pliers on the outside of a building
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Asbestos Worker Luke Fryman cuts the first bolt of the X-333 Process Building at the Portsmouth Site to kick off demolition activities.
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A construction vehicle moving materials via a truck ramp
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A dump truck departs one of two new cells being constructed via a ramp at the On-Site Waste Disposal Facility at the Portsmouth Site.
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A group of people in safety gear standing beside a large yellow set of excavator shears
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Operators show the scale of giant shears made for an excavator to help take down the X-333 Process Building. From left, Southern Ohio Cleanup Company (SOCCo) Excavator Operator Troy Woodward, Genesis Trainer Loren LaGesse, SOCCo excavator operators Craig Barker and Donald Proffitt, Construction Supervisor Jessica Hurd and Construction Manager Wade Howard.
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A group of professionals wearing safety vests sit in a classroom and participate in a training
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Genesis Technical Trainer Loren LaGesse discusses the importance of proper blade maintenance, rotation routines and wear checks to ensure operator safety and optimal performance to Portsmouth Site team members in training.
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Two members of EM leadership stand outside at the Portsmouth Site and look at a piece of paper
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Assistant Secretary for the Office of Environmental Management Tim Walsh (left) and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Joel Bradburne consult a map of energy projects planned for the area surrounding the Portsmouth Site.
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DOE leadership in a light blue shirt stands in a room and speaks to people
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Assistant Secretary for the Office of Environmental Management Tim Walsh speaks with union members at the Portsmouth Site.
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A group of professionals posing for a photo in front of a building demolition site
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From left, Deputy Assistant Secretary Joel Bradburne, Southern Ohio Cleanup Company Demolition and Operations Manager Bob Chancy, Assistant Secretary Tim Walsh and Acting Portsmouth Site Lead Christy Brown give a thumbs up to the progress on the demolition of the X-333 Process Building.
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A group of professionals posing for a photo while holding a thumbs up pose
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EM leadership, along with local leaders, address the local press about the progress of Portsmouth Site cleanup paving the way for reuse of the site for an American Energy Hub.
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An excavator carrying out work at a disposal facility
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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.
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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.

July 22, 2025

Portsmouth News

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Acting Site Manager

Portrait of a man in a grey suit with a blue shirt and tie, and glasses
Erik Olds, 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.

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