The US Department of Energy (DOE) is embarking on a significant project to construct a 1 GW solar farm on a former top-secret Manhattan Project nuclear site in Washington State. This initiative is part of the DOE’s Cleanup to Clean Energy program, which was launched in July 2023. The program aims to repurpose parts of DOE-owned lands, including those previously used in the US nuclear weapons program, for clean energy generation.
The Hanford Site, an 8,000-acre federal land area, has been selected for this transformation. Hecate Energy, chosen through a competitive qualifications-based process, will work with the DOE to turn this historic site into a thriving center of carbon-free solar power generation. The DOE and Hecate Energy will negotiate a realty agreement for the project, with the DOE retaining the right to cancel negotiations and rescind the selection at any time.
Established in 1943, the Hanford Site was a crucial location for the Manhattan Project during World War II, where nuclear reactors produced plutonium for the world’s first atomic bombs. Situated in a semi-arid desert along the Columbia River, this site will now be repurposed to support clean energy goals.
US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm stated, “DOE is transforming thousands of acres of land at our Hanford site into a thriving center of carbon-free solar power generation, leading by example in cleaning up our environment and delivering new economic opportunities to local communities.”
Under the Biden-Harris administration, nearly 90 GW of solar capacity has been added to the grid, enough to power roughly 13 million homes.