In August 1952, the Atomic Energy Commission, a predecessor agency to DOE, selected a tract of land in the Ohio Valley along the Scioto River in Pike County, Ohio, for the site of the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant (GDP), the third of three GDPs in the United States
The Portsmouth Site, located in Piketon, Ohio, consisted of four main areas historically totaling more than 3,700 acres: the former gaseous diffusion plant, centrifuge facilities, depleted uranium hexafluoride conversion (DUF6) facility and On-Site Waste Disposal Facility (OSWDF). The largest of the three areas is the former gaseous diffusion plant, which consists of three main process buildings (X-333, X-330 and X-326) which housed the gaseous diffusion process equipment, as well as hundreds of supporting facilities. A seven-mile perimeter road contains the process buildings and over 400 structures and facilities.
The OSWDF is located northeast outside of the perimeter road and has a 300-acre footprint. More than 2,200 workers are employed at the site making it one of the largest employment drivers in the region. Currently, at the site, workers are continuing deactivation of the X-330 Process Building and are close to complete with deactivation at the X-333 Process Building.
Portsmouth News
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Career longevity has come into focus recently at the Portsmouth Site, where 17 of the more than 2,000 contractor workers there have marked over 50 years of service, with one employee at 56 years.September 16, 2025 -
- Environmental and Legacy Management
- Nuclear Security & Safety
The Portsmouth Paducah Project Office is modernizing its depleted uranium hexafluoride conversion facilities by installing a new system designed to significantly enhance safety, improve efficiency and reduce operational pauses. September 2, 2025September 2, 2025 -
- Advance Energy Addition, Not Subtraction
- Innovation
- Innovation
- Innovation
- Innovation
The U.S. Department of Energy has recognized its environmental cleanup program for superior performance and exemplary service in project management. August 26, 2025August 26, 2025 -
- Environmental and Legacy Management
- Waste Management
- Waste Management
The Portsmouth Paducah Project Office recently met a DOE Office of Environmental Management priority for 2025 after successfully converting more than 1,000 cylinders of depleted uranium hexafluoride into a safer, more stable oxide form. August 26, 2025August 26, 2025