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The Department of Energy (DOE) today released a Final Plan for the Conversion of Depleted Uranium Hexafluoride. The plan documents the department's approach for constructing and operating facilities at the Paducah and Portsmouth gaseous diffusion plant sites to treat and recycle its inventory of depleted uranium hexafluoride to safer and more stable forms.

"Converting the nation's inventory of depleted uranium hexafluoride is a daunting challenge," said Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson. "But we have an opportunity to address an environmental problem and transform this material into an environmentally safer form. By constructing these facilities at Paducah and Portsmouth, we will be minimizing the risk of transporting this material and providing a new mission for the affected communities."

Goals and milestones in the final plan include:

• awarding one or more conversion and management services contracts no later than March 31, 2000;
• beginning construction of conversion facilities no later than March 31, 2002;
• beginning conversion operations no later than December 31, 2004;
• transferring, in cooperation with the state of Ohio, the cylinders at East Tennessee Technology Park, formerly known as the K-25 Site, to the Portsmouth site as soon as practical, after conversion operations begin; and
• beginning safely, expeditiously and efficiently converting all of the approximately 700,000 metric tons of depleted uranium hexafluoride.

To view the final plan, click here here or call 800-517-3191. This document is also available at DOE reading rooms in Paducah, Ky.; Portsmouth, Ohio; Oak Ridge, Tenn.; and Washington, D.C.