DOE: Hundreds of jobs for Ohio cleanup

PORTSMOUTH, Ohio (AP) —Federal energy officials say hundreds of jobs will come to southern Ohio for the next phase of the cleanup of a former uranium plant built during the Cold War.

Energy Department officials expect the contractor to begin hiring by the end of this year, with 350 to 500 new jobs over the next three years.

They announced Monday a contract valued at $2.1 billion over 10 years for work at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Piketon, 65 miles south of Columbus. It produced enriched uranium until 2001.

Decontamination and other work will be done by Fluor-B&W Portsmouth, a joint venture led by Fluor Federal Services Inc. and Babcock & Wilcox Technical Services Group Inc.