A small town in rural Ohio is producing #EnrichedUranium again. Here's why that matters
The Ohio Newsroom | By Erin Gottsacker
Published April 18, 2024
"When Centrus Energy flipped three switches at its new plant last fall, it was a new beginning for an industry that had been dormant for more than a decade in #Ohio: #UraniumEnrichment.
"As the U.S. looks to meet its clean energy [sic] goals, there’s increasing demand for the resource, which is necessary for nuclear power generation.
"For years, the U.S. didn’t have a American-owned source of enriched uranium. (A subsidiary of #Urenco enriches #uranium in #NewMexico, but it's owned by a conglomeration of foreign governments and European-based businesses.) Now, #CentrusEnergy is attempting to fill in the gap. And it’s doing that at a plant in #PiketonOhio.
[...]
"Some locals aren’t thrilled. One group worries about the industry’s connection to #NuclearWeapons. Others fear the waste from the plant could #contaminate the surrounding #environment. The specter of the last time #uranium was being enriched in Piketon looms large: many former plant workers get federal compensation because of illnesses they sustained as a result of exposure to #toxic and #radioactive materials.
"'I feel violated,' said Vina Colley, a former worker at the #PortsmouthGaseousDiffusionPlant. 'They said I would get more radiation by getting on the plane than working out here.'
"In the time since she worked at the plant, she’s battled #beryllium disease, #ChronicBronchitis, #COPD, #neuropathy and #HeartFailure."
#NoUraniumEnrichment #RadioactiveContamination #NewNuclear #Uranium #HALEU #UF6