| December 1950 |
U.S. government selects former Kentucky
Ordnance Works site in Paducah for new uranium enrichment plant. |
| December 1950 |
U.S. officials name Carbide and Carbon
Chemicals Company (now Union Carbide) to operate plant. |
| September 1952 |
First production cells go
"onstream." |
| November 1952 |
Operator withdraws first product and ships. |
| Mid-1960s |
Plant shifts from military mission to
commercial application to supply enriched uranium to electric utilities operating nuclear
power plants. |
| January 1975 |
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the
Energy Research and Development Agency (ERDA) assume AEC functions. NRC takes over
regulatory oversight of nuclear power plants and ERDA, which would later be absorbed by
the Department of Energy (DOE), assumes responsibility for uranium enrichment. |
| October 1977 |
Government transfers ERDA functions to newly
created DOE. |
| April 1984 |
Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc. takes
over Union Carbide's operating contract for plant. |
| November 1992 |
Energy Policy Act creates USEC to take over
government's uranium enrichment enterprise. |
| July 1993 |
USEC assumes responsibility for Paducah,
Kentucky, and Portsmouth, Ohio, uranium enrichment plants. |
| July 1993 |
USEC contracts with Martin Marietta Utility
Services, a newly created subsidiary of Martin Marietta, for operation and maintenance of
enrichment plants. |
| June 1995 |
Lockheed Martin Corporation forms after
merger of Lockheed and Martin Marietta corporations. Lockheed Martin Utility Services,
Inc. (LMUS) continues operation of USEC's Paducah plant. |
| June 1995 |
Paducah plant reaches record two million
man-hours of work without a lost workday. |
| November 1995 |
USEC revises and renews operating contract
with LMUS from cost-plus to performance-based contract. |
| November 1996 |
NRC grants certificates of compliance for
USEC's two enrichment plants. |
| March 1997 |
Regulatory oversight of enrichment plants
officially transfers from DOE to NRC. |
| July 1998 |
USEC is privatized; becomes USEC Inc., an
investor owned corporation. |
| May 1999 |
USEC takes over direct operation of Paducah
GDP. |
| June 2000 |
USEC announces plan to consolidate all enrichment activity at Paducah by June 2001. |
| March 2001 |
NRC amends operating certificate for the Paducah plant, permitting it to enrich uranium at levels up to 5.5% uranium-235. |
| April 2001 |
USEC completes Paducah assay upgrade program, enabling Paducah plant to enrich uranium at levels up to 5%. |
| May 2001 |
USEC ceases enrichment activities at Portsmouth plant. Portsmouth continues to provide transfer and shipping functions. |
| June 2002 |
USEC completes consolidation of transfer and shipping operations at Paducah. |
