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 the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management works to enable American energy and security, innovative approaches and strong partnerships at the Portsmouth and Paducah sites drive efforts to transform liabilities into assets to help unleash nuclear power.September 30, 2025 -
September 30, 2025 The more than 80 community leaders who took part in the recent Paducah Chamber of Commerce Fly-In discussed environmental cleanup progress, upcoming project milestones and long term planning for reindustrialization of the Paducah Site with members of Kentucky’s congressional delegation and U.S. Department of Energy leaders.September 30, 2025 -
As the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management addresses the legacy of the past, it has incredible opportunities to be part of what’s been dubbed Manhattan Project 2.0, a strong vision for the future focused on winning the global artificial intelligence race and ushering in a nuclear renaissance to fuel it, acting EM Assistant Secretary Joel Bradburne said in the keynote address at the 2025 National Cleanup Workshop.September 24, 2025 -
U.S. Department of Energy officials and Paducah, Kentucky, community members take part in a meeting of the annual Paducah Chamber of Commerce Fly-In. September 23, 2025September 23, 2025