The Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PGDP) was constructed in 1952 to produce enriched uranium, initially for the nation’s nuclear weapons program and later for nuclear fuel for commercial power plants. The plant is owned by the Department of Energy (DOE), which oversees environmental cleanup activities at the site, including environmental remediation, waste management, depleted uranium conversion, and decontamination and decommissioning. Commercial enrichment was conducted under lease from 1993 until 2013 when operations ceased and the gaseous diffusion facilities were returned to the DOE Environmental Management (EM) program. EM has conducted extensive cleanup activities at the site since the late 1980s and is currently deactivating the returned plant facilities while continuing the aggressive remediation program being managed by its Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office.
Paducah News
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U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright and Assistant Secretary of Environmental Management Tim Walsh joined industry leaders and local, state and national representatives to announce the development of a new American Energy Hub at the Paducah Site. August 4, 2026August 4, 2026 -
Security forces at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Portsmouth and Paducah sites are streamlining programs and services to strengthen protection of personnel, property and information, enabling more focus on completing cleanup and supporting future use opportunities at the sites. August 4, 2026August 4, 2026 -
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced a landmark partnership expected to create approximately 8,000 construction jobs and 600 permanent jobs.July 29, 2026 -
Murray State University computer science student Cale Tonazzi’s summer internship at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Paducah Site provided a lesson that cannot be taught in classrooms. July 28, 2026July 28, 2026