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Department of Energy to End Contract for Piketon Uranium Project
By: Associated Press
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PIKETON, Ohio (AP) – The government has announced plans to halt a southern Ohio uranium enrichment project in favor of similar work being done in Tennessee.
The U.S. Department of Energy says it will end its contract for the American Centrifuge Project in Piketon at the end of the month.
A Friday statement from the Energy Department and the National Nuclear Security Administration says the project provided valuable data on centrifuge technology but a facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, shows more promise.
Centrus Energy, the operator of the plant, says the announcement affects about 235 employees at the site.
The news follows a warning from the company decontaminating and cleaning up the plant that a federal budget gap could mean more than 500 layoffs among its own employees, affiliated personnel and subcontractors.