DOE completes removal of UF6 from ORNL

[Associated Press, 18 December] The US Department of Energy (DoE) has removed some 118 million pounds of uranium hexafluoride (UF6) from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee to Piketon, Ohio, where it will be processed into a more stable form for long-term storage. The UF6 was left over from the government's uranium enrichment process for nuclear weapons and fuel. The Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation had ordered the DoE to remove the UF6 by the end 2009. The project to transfer the material was completed three years ahead of schedule and, at a cost of $27.5 million, within budget.

Further information

Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Department of Energy