Department of Energy - Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management

10/21/2026

What's happening in Oak Ridge this month? We've got your quick rundown! ⚡

In this month’s Energycast On The Go, we’re highlighting some of the latest headlines from across the site.

Crews have completed demolition of all 10 buildings on Isotope Row and finished a major infrastructure upgrade at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Plus, a proposed $5 billion uranium enrichment facility is making progress toward bringing new opportunities to the region.

And that’s just the beginning! Tune in to the full October Energycast next week for a closer look at the projects, investments, and milestones shaping the future of Oak Ridge.


Orano Oak Ridge National Laboratory UCOR

10/19/2026

DOE sites helped shape America's past. Now, they're helping build its future.

Across the country, former uranium enrichment sites are finding new purpose — creating opportunities for economic growth, new industries and American energy innovation.

At the National Cleanup Workshop in Washington, D.C., leaders from Oak Ridge, Portsmouth and Paducah shared how environmental cleanup is helping make that transformation possible.

🎥 Watch to see how these sites are becoming assets for America’s future.

U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management
Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office - PPPO U.S. Department of Energy

10/15/2026

What does it take to build the future of nuclear energy? It starts with bringing the right people, research and capabilities together.

A new East Tennessee is focused on advancing nuclear manufacturing and construction while helping prepare the skilled workforce needed to support the industry’s growth.

See how NuCAMP is bringing partners together to turn that vision into action.
▶️ Watch the full story.

Kairos Power University of Tennessee Tickle College of Engineering Oak Ridge National Laboratory

10/13/2026

Cleanup is rapidly transforming Y-12—removing legacy facilities, reducing risk and clearing the way for modernization that will support national security missions for decades to come.

Crews are now demolishing the 13,000-square-foot Old Steam Plant, following the massive Alpha-2 teardown earlier this year. It marks the first time OREM and UCOR have demolished two facilities at Y-12 in a single fiscal year.

Next up: Beta-1, where demolition is planned to begin in early 2027.

10/08/2026

From removing 81 million pounds of debris to enabling $6.7 billion in planned investment, cleanup progress is transforming Oak Ridge.

In Fiscal Year 2026, crews reached major milestones across the site:

🏗️ Completed Alpha-2 demolition nearly 6 months ahead of schedule
🚧 Advanced demolition at the Old Steam Plant and Isotope Row
☢️ Passed the halfway point in uranium-233 processing
💰 Added equipment expected to save taxpayers $175 million and avoid a two-year delay
🌎 Moved future disposal capacity closer to construction
📈 Completed the largest land transfer to date, helping pave the way for about 1,100 jobs

Together, these accomplishments are reducing legacy risks, making way for important national security and science missions, and creating new opportunities for the region.

▶️ Watch the video to see how FY 2026 cleanup progress is helping shape Oak Ridge’s future.

U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management Oak Ridge National Laboratory

09/30/2026

The newest episode of Energycast is now available! Stories include:
➡ Biggest project wins of Fiscal Year 2026
➡ Crews start demolishing the Old Steam Plant at Y-12 National Security Complex
➡ Kairos Power launches a new collaborative initiative to train the nuclear workforce
➡ The National Cleanup Workshop spotlights billions in private investment at Oak Ridge and Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office - PPPO to attract industry and create jobs on former and current federal land
➡ Oak Ridge Housing Authority and community partners break ground on the Scarboro Community Enrichment Center with support from a $2.4M U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management grant

In this episode, we look back at the Oak Ridge Office of Environmen...

09/28/2026

For the first time, cleanup crews have conducted demolition on two facilities at the Y-12 National Security Complex in a single fiscal year. UCOR started taking down the 13,000-square-foot Old Steam Plant, also known as Building 9401-1. Crews shifted to this project after finishing the teardown of Alpha-2 earlier this year. These efforts continue to transform and modernize Y-12, showing the impact of careful planning and sequencing.

https://www.energy.gov/em/articles/momentum-builds-crews-take-2-demolitions-1-year-y-12-first

09/23/2026

ENERGYCAST ON THE GO | 3 STORIES TO KNOW
⚡ Fiscal Year 2026 Projects: See the progress made across Oak Ridge this year.
🏗️ Old Steam Plant: Demolition is underway on another legacy building at Y-12.
👷 Kairos Power Workforce Training: A new initiative is helping prepare the next generation of workers for the nuclear industry.
Get the highlights here, then catch the full stories in this month’s episode of Energycast.

09/17/2026

A new lab is helping advance two important missions at Oak Ridge National Laboratory: environmental cleanup and cancer treatment research.

Isotek’s new analytical lab is accelerating the Department of Energy’s highest-priority cleanup project at ORNL by providing faster, in-house analysis of processed uranium-233. This capability helps move material for out-of-state disposal more efficiently.

The lab is also supporting Isotek’s partnership with TerraPower to extract rare medical isotopes from uranium-233 for targeted alpha therapy research. With on-site sample analysis, turnaround times can drop from about four months to just two weeks — helping get material to researchers faster.

▶️ Watch to learn how the new lab is strengthening cleanup efforts while advancing medical isotope research, and hear from the people leading the work.

09/15/2026

A new production facility is taking shape at the Heritage Center in Oak Ridge. Radiant’s R-50 factory will support production for portable reactors designed to deliver power where it’s needed most—from military bases and remote locations to data centers across the country. Watch to see how the project is progressing and learn more about Radiant’s timeline for bringing the facility online.