By Chad Lampe
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkms/local-wkms-999106.mp3
Paducah, KY – WKMS's Chad Lampe spoke with Vice President of Enrichment Operations Steve Penrod about the potential partial shutdown of the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant in May.
The USEC facility enriches uranium for the Department Of Energy and foreign exports. Vice President of Enrichment Operations Steve Penrod sent letters to the plant's 1,200 employees and the DOE to announce the potential closure when a power contract with the Tennessee Valley Authority ends.
"Our objective first and foremost for multiple reasons is to extend operations," says Penrod.
Penrod continues,"For national security, for reasons associated with the community of course, economic, and of course from our business standpoint, we prefer to maintain operations in Paducah."
Power accounts for 70 percent of the plant's production costs. Product demand and lower cost uranium would be needed to remain viable. Penrod and many of the Kentucky congressional delegation are behind a bill to allow for the re-enrichment of spent uranium -called tails- which are stored at the Paducah site. That re-enriched uranium could then be sold to power plants domestically and internationally. If an agreement isn't met by lawmakers and a new power contract aren't negotiated simultaneously, Penrod says the plant would begin a partial shutdown. He wouldn't speculate how of the plant's 1200 jobs would be lost initially.