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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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 -
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management Paducah Site and the West McCracken Fire Department have benefited from a mutual aid agreement to enhance emergency response capabilities since 2019. July 21, 2026July 21, 2026 -
Members of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management workforce recently discussed job opportunities with area teachers and administrators as they toured the Paducah Site. June 23, 2026June 23, 2026 -
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