The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded University of Kentucky researchers a grant to support the development of new cleanup strategies at the former Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant site.
The plant produced enriched uranium for nuclear power plants for more than half a century before shuttering in 2013.
In addition to supporting the work of UK’s Center for Applied Energy Research, the five-year, $2.5 million grant goes toward public outreach related to the plant’s cleanup. This includes keeping stakeholders up-to-date on cleanup efforts and educating local high school students on the work going on at the plant.
UK is also developing a PGDP “virtual museum” with an archive of photos and videos of the plant, similar to one launched in 2012 for southern Ohio's Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant.
