Energy Department Hosts First Paducah Site Tours, Adds More

(KFVS/AP) - For the first time, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is offering guided public tours of its site in Paducah.

Several tours are being offered for the public to learn about the history of the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant site.

During more than 60 years of operation that ended in 2013, the Paducah plant enriched uranium for national defense and later for commercial energy purposes.

The plant has been a significant economic asset to the region and its history is a key part of the area's heritage.

The plant is currently being prepared by DOE for decontamination and decommissioning while environmental cleanup continues at the site.

Interested participants can register online on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Fluor Paducah Deactivation Project coordinates the tours, which depart by bus from West Kentucky Community and Technical College's Emerging Technology Center and return three hours later.

Copyright 2016 KFVS. All rights reserved.