PADUCAH, KY - The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced the opportunity for members of the community to participate in public tours of the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant site starting monthly in April 2016. This will be the first time tours of the DOE site will be available to the public in its more than 60-year history. Tours will offer a guided history of the site and information on the cleanup activities. Below is a list of tour dates for 2016.

The Paducah community has long supported the site and its continuous operation.  Since the plant was built, many people in the community have been familiar with its mission of national security and nuclear energy, but few have seen the facilities up close. The tours are free of charge, and each tour 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.

“We are pleased to be able to offer these tours so that members of the community, former workers, and visitors to the community can see the rich history that Paducah and the DOE has to offer,” said Jennifer Woodard, DOE’s Paducah Site Lead. “The plant near Paducah was one of only three gaseous diffusion plants built in the United States in the early 1950s to serve our country’s defense and energy needs. This tour program honors the legacy of dedicated workers who have passed through the security gates for decades to provide for our nation’s needs.”

Interested participants must pre-register and tours are available on a first-come, first-served basis. To register , please visit http://www.ffspaducah.com/.  Tours will begin at the West Kentucky Community and Technical College’s (WKCTC) Emerging Technology Center located at 4810 Alben Barkley Drive in Paducah. Visitors who have pre-registered must arrive at 8 a.m. for mandatory safety and security briefings.   After a brief welcome visitors will depart for the DOE site.  While this is primarily a driving tour there will be one stop to visit inside the plant control facility, the hub of the gaseous diffusion plant. At the conclusion of the tour visitors will be returned to WKCTC by approximately noon.

For more information about the Paducah Site, visit /pppo/paducah.

Tour DateDeadline to Register
April 23, 2016April 8, 2016
May 21, 2016May 13, 2016
June 25, 2016June 3, 2016
July 16, 2016July 1, 2016
August 20, 2016August 5, 2016
September 17, 2016September 2, 2016