PIKETON, Ohio – At approximately 9:30 a.m. today, a diesel fuel spill occurred at USEC Inc.’s American Centrifuge Plant Site in Piketon. The spill occurred from a diesel generator operated by Fluor, a contractor for the American Centrifuge Program. The generator was providing temporary power for construction activities in the plant’s boiler building on the west side of the reservation. The spill is estimated at approximately 300 gallons. The spill was stopped at the source area, and the majority of the spill contents remained at the site of the spill. However, some portion of the diesel fuel had migrated to an onsite “holding pond.”

Environmental teams have determined that some amount of the diesel fuel has migrated offsite in the area of Wakefield Mound Road, which is west of the plant.

Emergency response teams, including environmental personnel, responded immediately to the scene. Plant officials have made the required notifications to the county, state, and other onsite and offsite regulatory agencies. Representatives from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are onsite and monitoring the activities associated with the spill.

The Pike County Emergency Management Office has been notified and provided with recommendations. These recommendations include avoidance of use of and/or contact with the creek water until the diesel fuel is gone. Wells and cisterns should not be affected, and residents should contact the Pike County Health Department at 947-7721 with any additional questions they may have related to this spill.

The site Emergency Operations Center (EOC) continues to monitor all activities related to this event. Plant officials are continuing to investigate the cause of the diesel generator malfunction.

USEC Inc., a global energy company, is a leading supplier of enriched uranium fuel for commercial nuclear power plants. It is deploying its next generation uranium enrichment technology – the American Centrifuge – in Piketon, Ohio. 

###