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Bombs to beams: US to turn nuclear plutonium site into 1 GW solar farm | Wind energy is not being considered since a nearby observatory searches for gravitational waves.


The 8,000-acre Hanford site produced two-thirds of plutonium for US nuclear weapons program. It will soon generate clean energy.

The Department of Energy (DOE) has agreed to turn a former nuclear weapons development site in Washington state into a one gigawatt (GW) solar farm. As coal—and gas-fired power plants shut down, renewable energy companies are stepping up to repurpose the major facilities and ensure the continuity of jobs for those working in the industry. The region’s ambitions, however, are much larger than a solar power plant—about 14,000 acres of land, including the Hanford site, has been identified as a clean energy park.

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