The Department of Energy said Tuesday a California-based company that plans a major enrichment plant in Paducah, Ky., will use a longtime nuclear facility at the Hanford Site in Washington state
In a Tuesday press release, DOE’s Office of Environmental Management said it has teamed up with the nuclear fuel company General Matter for potential use of Hanford’s Fuels and Materials Examination Facility (FMEF) – 190,000-square-foot facility built to support DOE’s fast liquid breeder reactor program.
But the structure has never been used for any nuclear work and has not supported a DOE mission since 1993, DOE said in the release.
A startup company, General Matter burst onto the nuclear scene last August announcing plans for $1.5 billion enrichment plant at the DOE’s Paducah Site in Kentucky.
DOE said in the Tuesday press release that the partnership holds promise for rebuilding the nation’s domestic nuclear fuel supply chain.
“FMEF can be transformed into an asset to unleash American energy dominance and drive innovation, while building prosperity and vitality for the people of Central Washington,” DOE Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management Tim Walsh said in the press release. Walsh toured the facility at Hanford in November.
“Activating FMEF for a modern mission reflects responsible stewardship and forward momentum for the site,” said Ray Geimer, manager for DOE’s Hanford Field Office. “This lease puts an asset back to work for the American people and reinforces the department’s commitment to safe revitalization across the Hanford footprint.”