Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant

The U.S. began construction of Portsmouth in 1952 in order to expand the nation’s gaseous diffusion program. The gaseous diffusion plants already operating in Oak Ridge, TN and Paducah, KY were not able to fulfill the nation’s need for highly enriched and low-enriched uranium. Portsmouth was used for isotope separation. Beginning in 1954, Portsmouth produced highly enriched uranium to support nuclear weapons production and, later, for use by submarine, research, and test reactors. The high-enrichment portion of the diffusion cascade was shut down in 1991.
On July 1, 1993, the United States Enrichment Corporation (USEC)*, a government-owned corporation formed under the Energy Policy Act of 1992, assumed control of the plant’s production activities. USEC, which was fully privatized in 1998, continued to produce enriched uranium for commercial use at this location until May 11, 2001 when production ceased. During the period of USEC production, the DOE maintained responsibility for addressing the environmental legacy left by historic plant operations.
Subsequent to USEC ceasing production, the DOE contracted with USEC to maintain the plant in cold standby until the decision was made to return the plant entirely back under DOE control, which was completed by September 2011. The PORTS Decontamination and Decommissioning project began under contract with Fluor-B&W Portsmouth LLC in March 2011.
Throughout the course of its operations, the potential for beryllium exposure existed at this site.

Alternative Names

• Piketon Plant
• Goodyear Atomic
• A-Plant
• PORTS
• Bomb Plant

Type of Facility

• Department of Energy

Covered by EEOICPA

• Part B and Part E

EEOICPA Covered Years

• 1952-July 28, 1998 (DOE)
• July 29, 1998-May 2001 (remediation)
• May 2001-Present (DOE)

Contractors

• March 2011 – Present Fluor-B&W Portsmouth, LLC
• 2001- February 2011 USEC
• June 27, 2005–September 30, 2009 Los Alamos Technical Associates and Parallax Portsmouth
• June 27, 2005–September 30, 2009 Theta Pro2Serve Management Company
• 1998-June 27, 2005 Theta Bechtel Jacobs company
• 1995-1998 Lockheed Martin Energy Systems, Inc.
• 1986-1995 Martin Marietta Energy Systems
• 1954-1986 Goodyear Atomic Corporation
• August 29, 2002–March 2011 Uranium Disposition Services
• March 2011-Present Babcock & Wilcox conversion Services, LLC

Contract Numbers

• DE-ACOS-7600001

DOE

• Comprehensive Epidemiologic Data Resource Analytic Data File Sets-Case-Control Study of Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant
• DOE Facility List by Name
• FUSRAP Considered Site
• Environmental Management

DOL

• Tracking your DOL Claim Status
• Advisory Board on Toxic Substances and Worker Health
• Ombudsman’s Office
• Resource Center
• DOL Case and Claim Statistics
• Site Exposure Matrix

NIOSH

• FAQs About Your Case
• Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health
• NIOSH Case Statistics
• Special Exposure Cohort Status Table
  • Statute: “Employees who worked at least 250 days before February 1, 1992, at a gaseous diffusion plant in Paducah, Kentucky; Portsmouth, Ohio; or Oak Ridge, Tennessee and who were or could have been monitored in those jobs using dosimetry badges.”
• Work Site Information

Nuclear Regulatory Commission

• American Centrifuge Plant
• Lead Cascade

Other Resources

• BTComp Contractor/Subcontractor Database