Oak Ridge, Tenn. taps brakes on airport plans after Orano plant announcement

The city of Oak Ridge, Tenn., could delay development of a long-sought airport on remediated Department of Energy land after Orano-USA selected Oak Ridge as its preferred site for a new uranium enrichment plant.

The September announcement by Orano means the city could pause development of the general aviation airstrip and reconsider the proposed location, according to a Sept. 11 press release. The airport is currently planned for land that once was home to the K-25 gaseous diffusion plant site at Oak Ridge.

“The state and the city have pledged to work together on the possible relocation of the airport to accommodate one of the largest, single economic investments in the history of the State of Tennessee,” Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch said in the city press release. The Orano enrichment plant is expected to cover 750,000 square feet, employ roughly 300 people in Roane County.

The Appalachian Regional Commission has also agreed to work with state and local officials in exploring alternate sites, Gooch added in the release.

The city press release said the quest for local airport alternatives will occur while the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission starts its vetting of the proposed uranium enrichment plant.

Only two months ago in August the Federal Aviation Administration issued its Environmental Assessment and a Record of Decision, Finding of No Significant Impact for the general aviation airport.

The airport with its 5,000-foot runway would occupy about 340 acres within the “ultimate boundary” of the DOE site, according to the finding of no significant impact. So far, DOE has transferred about 123 acres of the proposed site to the city, according to the document.

The airport site would be roughly parallel to the Oak Ridge Turnpike or Highway 58, the city has said. It could take years for the new airport to break even.