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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As members of the next-generation workforce arrive at the Paducah Site, they will undergo a new training by longtime employees covering a topic that may be unfamiliar to the incoming workers: the site’s past uranium enrichment operations. June 2, 2026June 2, 2026 -
Two universities in Ohio and Kentucky are collaborating to build STEM interest in local high school students and inspire them to pursue careers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Portsmouth and Paducah sites. May 26, 2026May 26, 2026 -
Two educators in communities near the U.S. Department of Energy’s Portsmouth, Ohio, and Paducah, Kentucky, locations are maximizing resources to help cultivate the next generation of talent to advance the nation’s energy sector and future redevelopment at the DOE sites. May 19, 2026May 19, 2026 -
Decades of uranium enrichment operations at two former gaseous diffusion plants yielded thousands of cylinders of depleted uranium hexafluoride, or DUF6, that accumulated in storage yards. April 21, 2026April 21, 2026