Paducah Site Agreements Help Shake Loose U.S. Innovation, Energy

Depleted uranium hexafluoride cylinders stand in a cylinder yard at the Paducah Site. A portion of the site’s inventory of more than 40,000 remaining cylinders will be available to commercial partners to turn legacy coproduct of the former uranium enrichment process into opportunities for future energy supplies.

PADUCAH, Ky. — Recent agreements and partnerships to provide land and a portion of a legacy coproduct from the former uranium enrichment process at the Paducah Site to commercial partners is turning liabilities into assets, accelerating production of domestic energy supplies.

“These agreements and partnerships turn what was considered an environmental challenge into a critical national asset,” Portsmouth Paducah Project Office (PPPO) Manager Joel Bradburne said. “The work being done at Paducah and across the nation is at the heart of the nuclear renaissance this administration is collectively working toward.”

With a portion of the depleted uranium hexafluoride (DUF6) cylinders available for re-enrichment, the Paducah Site has the ability to jump-start domestic uranium enrichment with commercial partnerships. Through these innovative partnerships, the DUF6 inventory will help expedite future enrichment activities by providing a stable feed of uranium hexafluoride for multiple projects.

Last week, PPPO signed a lease agreement with General Matter for approximately 100 acres of land for a future private-sector domestic uranium enrichment facility. General Matter is a California-based nuclear firm.

“Together, we hope to make Paducah not just the Atomic City of the past, but the Atomic City of the future,” General Matter Founder and CEO Scott Nolan said.

The Paducah Site is also partnering with Global Laser Enrichment (GLE). The private commercial company plans to build the Paducah Laser Enrichment Facility on recently acquired land adjacent to the Paducah Site and has submitted its license application for the facility to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The partnerships allow both companies access to a portion of the Paducah Site’s remaining inventory of more than 40,000 DUF6 cylinders. DUF6 is a coproduct of the uranium enrichment process and has been stored in cylinders at the site for decades.

An onsite facility has been converting DUF6 into a more stable chemical form that can be reused, stored or disposed of.

With the added benefit of the DUF6 cylinder inventory already in the chemical form needed for enrichment activities, providing access to a portion of the DUF6 cylinders can shorten nearly a decade of conversion facility operations and avoid costs associated with disposition of the material.

“Ultimately, these partnerships will save U.S. taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars,” Bradburne added. “In turn, the companies will unlock significant potential in the resources readily available to DOE.”

This effort supports the administration’s goal to accelerate production of domestic energy supplies and creates opportunities to turn federal liabilities into assets.

Moreover, the collaboration between DOE, commercial entities and the Paducah community signals a step forward in the re‑emergence of nuclear energy, ensuring the Paducah Site continues its vital role in securing energy independence and meeting cleanup challenges.

-Contributors: Sarah Marko, Dylan Nichols