PIKETON, OH – Interested in seeing what’s behind the security gates at the Department of Energy’s former uranium enrichment facilities in Piketon, Ohio?  Then you will have a special opportunity to participate in a limited number of monthly public tours scheduled in 2014.  Due to the popularity of the general public tours that began in 2012, additional tours have been scheduled from March through October 2014.

More than 500 people have attended the public tours since they were initiated in April 2012, enjoying a guided history lesson of the site and getting a first-hand view of current activities on plant site. This year, the Department of Energy is making the following eight dates available for the general public and is taking pre-registrations:

Saturday, March 15, 2014 
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Saturday, May 17, 2014 
Saturday, June 21, 2014   
Saturday, July 19, 2014
Saturday, August 16, 2014
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Saturday, October 18, 2014

“We are excited to continue these special tours for the public to get a close-up view of the former uranium enrichment facilities while they are being addressed under the Decontamination & Decommissioning (D&D) Project,” said Dr. Vincent Adams, Site Director for the U.S. Department of Energy. “The plant in Piketon, Ohio was one of only three gaseous diffusion plants built in the United States to serve our country’s defense and energy needs. It operated for nearly five decades and thousands of workers have passed through the security gates over the years.”

All interested participants must pre-register and tours are available on a first-come, first-served basis.  Tours are free of charge and each will accommodate a maximum of 40 people. All attendees must be 18 years of age or older and must be U.S. citizens. No cameras, cell phones, or other recording devices will be permitted.

The tours are being coordinated by D&D contractor Fluor-B&W Portsmouth’s Public Affairs Office and last approximately three hours.  This is primarily a driving bus tour with one stop to visit inside the Plant Control Facility, the hub of the gaseous diffusion plant. The tour involves minimal walking, just a short distance from the bus to the building.

Timeframe for the tours includes badging from 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. the day of the tour with a brief welcome before boarding a charter bus for the driving portion. Participants are returned by noon.

To register and obtain further information on the tours, please call or email Sandy Childers at (740) 897-2336 or sandy.childers@fbports.com and provide your name and a daytime telephone number so follow-up communications can be made to finalize your tour registration.  Deadline for signing up for the first tour is March 5, 2014.