PIKETON, Ohio – A major environmental permit for the Piketon Depleted Uranium Hexafluoride (DUF6) Conversion Facility is set to change hands, according to an application filed with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. The move marks a shift in the operational oversight of the plant.
The current permit holder, Mid-America Conversion Services, has applied to transfer its Ohio National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit to a new entity, Mission Conversion Services Alliance. The NPDES permit is a critical federal and state authorization under the Clean Water Act that regulates the discharge of wastewater into public waters.
According to the transfer agreement submitted to the Ohio EPA, Mid-America Conversion Services will continue to be responsible for the permit's conditions and liabilities until September 30, 2025. Starting October 1, 2025, Mission Conversion Services Alliance will assume full responsibility for compliance with all terms of the permit for the facility, located at 3930 U.S. Route 23 South in Piketon.
The application states that there will be no "material modifications to production or facilities" that would alter the volume or characteristics of the plant's wastewater discharge following the transfer.
The transfer agreement, signed by representatives of both companies, certifies that Mission Conversion Services Alliance has read and fully understands the terms and conditions of the existing permit.
The DUF6 Conversion Facility was built to convert the large inventory of depleted uranium hexafluoride, a byproduct of the uranium enrichment process that occurred for decades at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, into a more stable form for reuse or disposal.
In February 2024, Mid-American Conversion Services was fined nearly $400,000 by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) over serious safety concerns at its facility. According to an NRC press release at the time, “The violations are associated with allegations of nuclear safety deficiencies at the Portsmouth Depleted Uranium Hexafluoride Conversion (DUF6) facility that occurred between 2019 and 2022.