With the successful closeout of Vision 2020, all unneeded buildings at East Tennessee Technology Park were removed, marking the first-ever cleanup of a gaseous diffusion plant.
Work started in the 1990s to convert the site, once called the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant, into a thriving multi-use industrial park. It was renamed East Tennessee Technology Park to reflect that mission. Simultaneous with cleanup, businesses began locating at the site, with 1,300 acres transferred for industrial reuse.
With the unneeded buildings gone, the Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, along with cleanup contractor UCOR, began addressing soil remediation at the site. The objective of these remediation projects is to remove contaminated soil and replace it with clean fill. Those efforts are scheduled to be complete in 2024. Plans are underway for groundwater remediation, and that work is expected to continue through 2028.
Historic preservation efforts are also underway at ETTP. In 2020, The K-25 History Center opened at the site. Construction is beginning this summer on a viewing platform to allow visitors to view the footprint of the former K-25 Building and appreciate its massive scale. A total of 100 acres of land has been set aside for historic preservation. Another 3,500 acres has been designated for conservation.
