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PADUCAH, Ky. – The Paducah Uranium Enrichment Plant will conduct a full-participation emergency exercise on Wednesday, September 20.
A number of local agencies will be involved. Confirmed participants include:
The exercise is designed to test the ability of both the plant and the community to respond to a major plant emergency. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission will evaluate the plant's performance.
"Although an emergency of this magnitude is extremely unlikely, it is important to be prepared," said Donald Elrod, who heads the plant's Emergency Management Group. "We continually review and test our emergency response programs, however, this exercise, scheduled every two years, is special in that it extends beyond plant boundaries. It provides an opportunity for us to strengthen our relationships with the community agencies that would assist in the event of a major emergency. It also gives those agencies an opportunity to test their staff and equipment in a very realistic and challenging scenario."
"At the conclusion of the exercise," Elrod added, "we get feedback from each group, take careful note of areas where response can be improved and then implement those improvements. This is the best way to keep emergency management on a continuous improvement track."
The emergency exercise will last for several hours. Plant and community responders do not know what the scenario will entail, but, based on past experience, stand ready to see their training and experience fully tested.
If you have questions about the exercise, call the plant Public Affairs Office at (270) 441-6981.
The Paducah Uranium Enrichment Plant is operated by the United States Enrichment Corporation, a subsidiary of USEC Inc., a global energy company that is the world's leading supplier of enriched uranium fuel for commercial nuclear power plants.
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