Oak Ridge cleanup is paying big dividends for the region
The old K-25 was completed four years ahead of schedule and $80 million under budget.
American Nuclear Society President Hash Hashemian, who is also the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Knoxville-headquartered Analysis and Measurement Services Corporation, and Ken Rueter, President and CEO of UCOR, the Department of Energy’s environmental cleanup contractor for the Oak Ridge Reservation, have co-authored a paper on the massive project that resulted in turning over 2,200 acres of property at the old K-25 Gaseous Diffusion Site.
They note that “the answer lies not in greenfield development alone but in completing the nuclear cleanup at our legacy sites to position them for reindustrialization. Environmental cleanup of former nuclear facilities isn’t just about addressing the past—it’s about unlocking the future of American energy dominance.”
UCOR, officially known as United Cleanup Oak Ridge, tackled the world’s largest environmental cleanup project. Completing this first-ever cleanup of a uranium enrichment complex four years ahead of schedule and $80 million under budget, UCOR achieved something remarkable: the first Manhattan Project “secret city” to fully close its nuclear lifecycle and open the next chapter of advanced nuclear energy and material production.
As a result, Oak Ridge is leading the wave of advanced nuclear that is driven by the demand for energy to power artificial intelligence.
The East Tennessee Technology Park, as the former K-25 site is now named, has attracted billions in investment, created hundreds of new jobs, and now hosts dozens of thriving businesses. Most significantly, it has become the home of next-generation nuclear companies, including Kairos Power, Orano USA, and X-energy.
The former recently announced an agreement with Google and the Tennessee Valley Authority to have its Hermes 2 plant producing 5o megawatts of electricity by 2030.
Click here to read the paper.
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