Assistant Secretary Walsh Views Full Scope of EM’s Impact at Oak Ridge

Marty Bryan, right, director of Kairos Power Tennessee Site Integration, details construction activities underway for the company’s Hermes 1 demonstration reactor to Assistant Secretary of Environmental Management Tim Walsh at Oak Ridge.

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — In his first trip to Oak Ridge last week, Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management (EM) Tim Walsh witnessed firsthand the reach and impact of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) cleanup mission, including how progress generates opportunities for DOE programs and the community.

Walsh and his team toured all major cleanup projects underway at Oak Ridge and met with state and local officials, business leaders and stakeholders to discuss partnerships and developments on the horizon.

“Oak Ridge stands out as one of EM and DOE’s exemplary sites. From advancing our national security and nuclear deterrence to driving America’s nuclear renaissance and positioning the U.S. to lead the AI race, Oak Ridge remains central to EM and DOE’s mission of making America both energy dominant and prosperous,” Walsh said. “As we continue ongoing nuclear remediation and revitalization efforts, Oak Ridge serves as a roadmap for EM’s future.”

U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EM) officials and Kairos Power employees stand in front of the company’s construction site for the Hermes 1 demonstration reactor. The project is located on the footprint of the former K-33 uranium enrichment facility that EM cleared for economic reuse.

At the Y-12 National Security Complex, the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) and contractor UCOR showed open footprints in the dense campus where recent demolitions removed legacy facilities. Crews have cleared away 20 acres of former Manhattan Project-era research and enrichment buildings to remove hazards and provide space for new facilities to advance national security missions.

Crews are removing the final portions of debris from the Alpha-2 demolition project, while other teams prepare for the next major demolition of a former uranium enrichment facility at Beta-1, slated to begin later this year.

Stops at Oak Ridge National Laboratory showcased how cleanup is transforming the central campus area, making way for modernization by removing old, contaminated infrastructure and eliminating inventories of nuclear material.

Walsh toured the world’s oldest operating nuclear facility, currently a storehouse for the nation’s inventory of uranium-233. OREM and contractor Isotek are processing and disposing of the material to eliminate risks and strike ongoing costs to taxpayers required to keep the material safe and secure.

Another facet of that project involves an innovative partnership with nuclear innovation company TerraPower to extract rare medical isotopes from the uranium-233 to power next-generation cancer treatment research.

OREM’s cleanup has also created space for new industry.

The team traveled to the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP) where they saw EM’s largest completed cleanup effort to date.

Assistant Secretary of Environmental Management Tim Walsh stands stories above the K-25 building’s 44-acre footprint from the observation deck in the K-25 Interpretive Center. The building was the largest in the world when it was constructed, and it was one of five former uranium enrichment buildings demolished at the site.

Walsh stood stories above the 44-acre footprint of the former K-25 building, now the main attraction of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park site. The building was the largest in the world when it was constructed, and among the 500 buildings crews demolished there.

Workers finished soil remediation at ETTP in 2024, opening the door for major redevelopment. Today, it is home to more than 20 businesses that have announced billions of dollars in investments that will create thousands of new jobs in the nuclear sector.

Kairos Power, one of the first major nuclear companies to announce locating at ETTP, provided a tour of the construction of its new demonstration reactor. The company is progressing quickly on its $100 million development on the footprint of a former uranium enrichment building.

OREM has transferred more than 2,500 acres to the community for economic reuse, and much of that land is targeted for redevelopment by nuclear companies that support numerous stages in the fuel cycle, from enrichment to recycling.

Walsh and his team met with state and local officials to hear input that can result in EM accelerating cleanup, boosting opportunities and strengthening partnerships with private industry.

-Contributor: Ben Williams