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Reactivating Hanford, Washington

General Matter and the Department of Energy have signed a lease for the Hanford Site’s Fuels and Materials Examination Facility, unlocking its potential for America’s nuclear energy future.

By General Matter • 2 min read

General Matter is partnering with the U.S. Department of Energy at the Hanford Site, an early anchor of America’s nuclear program, to support advanced fuel production and the next generation of nuclear energy.

Originally built for the Manhattan Project, the Hanford Site was one of the pillars of the first nuclear age. It’s fitting for Hanford to play a key role in America’s new nuclear energy renaissance.

General Matter has signed a lease with the Department of Energy for Hanford’s Fuels and Materials Examination Facility (FMEF).

The FMEF was constructed in the Cold War to support the Liquid Fast Breeder Reactor Program. Spanning 190,000 square feet, the FMEF was never used in any nuclear capacity. Although fully constructed and equipped, the facility never supported an operational nuclear mission and has remained dormant for three decades.

Now, alongside the Department of Energy, General Matter will evaluate putting this facility to use to serve the next generation of nuclear energy.

This lease builds on our ongoing development of a new American enrichment facility at the former Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Kentucky. Together, these facilities will reduce our reliance on foreign providers, strengthen our nuclear industrial base, and lower energy costs for utilities and consumers.

We thank our partners at the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management and across the Richland community for supporting the development of a stronger, more secure nuclear energy supply chain built here in the United States.

It’s time to put America’s assets back to work.

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