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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Thanks to their safe and successful cleanup work in 2025, the Portsmouth and Paducah sites demonstrated the strong role the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management plays in advancing American energy dominance and innovation. December 23, 2025December 23, 2025 -
The Paducah Site Protective Force has marked 106,000 miles of driving without any accidents in one year. December 23, 2025December 23, 2025 -
Cleanup program recently awarded performance-based fee payments to 12 of its contractors at sites across the DOE complex. December 23, 2025December 23, 2025 -
Helping to grow America’s burgeoning nuclear renaissance, advancing infrastructure critical to winning the artificial intelligence race and safely addressing aging facilities to contribute to the modernization of America’s strategic deterrent — these are just some of the ways the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management helped enable American energy, innovation and security in 2025, according to a new document released today.December 23, 2025