'Unleashing a new nuclear renaissance' — General Matter to build $1.5 billion uranium enrichment facility in Paducah
PADUCAH — Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Energy announced that General Matter LLC signed a lease for the reuse of a 100-acre parcel of federal land at the former Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant as a new private-sector domestic uranium enrichment facility.
According to the office of Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, General Matter is a privately funded American company focused on the development of uranium enrichment technology to reshore domestic nuclear fuel capacity and power American energy production.
According to Greater Paducah Economic Development, General Matter evaluated more than 1,000 potential locations across 11 states before selecting Paducah, citing the city’s strategic infrastructure, skilled workforce, and strong state and local support.
Beshear states that the signing of the lease paves the way for future milestones, including permitting, licensing and contractual terms with the DOE that will move the project moving forward.
“Leveraging the resources of the former Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, including its skilled nuclear workforce and existing infrastructure, is unlocking private funding and fast-tracking commercial licensing activities,” DOE Office of Environmental Management Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Roger Jarrell said. “The administration’s commitment to reducing barriers for American energy development is enabling the Office of Environmental Management to transform liabilities into opportunities, unleashing American energy, supporting national security and enabling U.S. innovation and jobs.”
The lease provides General Matter with a minimum of 7,600 cylinders of existing uranium hexafluoride to supply fuel for future reenrichment operations. The DOE asserts that reprocessing of uranium hexafluoride saves the American taxpayer about $800 million in avoided disposal costs while General Matter benefits from a consistent supply of U.S.-origin uranium hexafluoride feed suitable for re-enrichment.
Additionally, Greater Paducah states that the project will help reshore domestic nuclear fuel production, potentially saving the U.S. $500 million annually by reducing reliance on foreign imports. According to the DOE, building these supply chains is critical to the domestic expansion of energy for advanced manufacturing and artificial intelligence data centers.
Greater Paducah asserts that the project will create approximately 140 high-paying, full-time jobs and generate an estimated $71 million in recurring annual economic benefit for the Paducah region.
“General Matter will be a huge addition to economic development in McCracken County. The large number of high-paying construction jobs to build the plant alone will be a tremendous local benefit. And the hiring of a great many employees at a lucrative pay scale for decades to come will be outstanding,” said McCracken County Judge-Executive Craig Clymer.
”For many families, the DOE site is personal. Parents helped build it, their children work there today, and now the next generation has a chance to carry that legacy forward,” Greater Paducah Economic Development President and CEO Bruce Wilcox said.
According to Greater Paducah, General Matter has pledged to meet the highest safety and environmental standards, operating under the oversight of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
“Paducah embraced the nuclear age 75 years ago, and now, as the country embraces safe and clean nuclear energy to help meet the power demands of the future, the General Matter project validates the importance of the Department of Energy site in Paducah,” said Paducah Mayor George Bray.
General Matter’s construction is expected to begin in 2026 with uranium enrichment operations planned for 2034.