Pike County, Chillicothe, and Beyond — The historic gaseous diffusion plant continues to be demolished, but the centrifuge facility in Pike County continues to be upgraded and expanded, and in need of employees – especially in response to new developments on the federal reservation there.
Matt Snider, Enrichment Plant Operations Manger with Centrus Energy, spoke in in the annual “State of the Community Breakfast” by the Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce at the Chillicothe Country Club on March 27th, 2026.
As introduced by Chamber leader Mike Throne, Snider explained how “power-producing technology” from Centrus can benefit Pike, Ross, and surrounding counties. Snider also listed hundreds of construction and new permanent jobs expected at the facility and nearby. Hear him in his own words in the below video.
Centrus Energy is the operator of the American Centrifuge plant, built in the early 1980s on the federal reservation that first housed the huge 1950s “Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant” that harnessed older, less efficient Cold-War-era uranium enrichment for nuclear power and weapons.
The United States Enrichment Corporation (USEC), a government company, operated the American Centrifuge until USEC became the private company Centrus Energy.
Learn more about Centrus, Oklo, and the historical Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in “More Insight on Two Major Developments Announced for Former Piketon A-Plant” (01/12/2026).
See other recent announcements at the Piketon reservation, and search the Scioto Post for more:
- “Centrus Plans Multi-Billion-Dollar Expansion in Piketon, Promising 300 New Jobs in Southern Ohio” (09/25/2025)
- “Massive AI Data Center Planned for Southern Ohio Former Uranium Site” (03/21/2026)
- “Massive $33B Natural Gas Plant Announced for Portsmouth, Ohio in Japan-U.S. Trump Investment Deal” (02/18/2026)
Plain-spoken Snider said the Centrus site is about 3,700 acres “on the other side of the fence” from the demolition and cleanup effort of the gaseous diffusion plant.
The centrifuge concentrates uranium, but he said it is similar to an oil refinery – it is really a chemical plant, so employees can easily come in from other industries. He said Centrus has a training program, and has already hired many laid-off Pixelle workers – an immediate response to the Chillicothe paper mill’s shutdown.
Snider said a multibillion-dollar expansion was announced in September at Ohio University Chillicothe, including funding for “national security missions.”
That will include “lower octane” low-enriched uranium (LEU) for the U.S. nuclear reactor fleet, and “higher octane” high assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) for small modular reactors – including the upcoming Oklo development there.
With Oklo, Snider said there are many synergies for being on same site. But to get there, they need workers. He said Centrus will add 300 full-time jobs…and that since only September they have doubled their staff. Plus, he said there will be 1,000 construction jobs, and other non-Centrus jobs: another 2,500 workers will be needed for the neighboring new data center and Oklo power plant.
He said this is not just a local, regional, or statewide challenge – but will be a national challenge to fill the positions.
He admitted he does not know where the industry will go, past this – the nuclear industry “has been up and down” since he was hired in 2009, with many WARN notices about workforce reduction.
Snider also praised CTC schools such as the Pickaway-Ross Career & Technology Center, which train a majority of their employees at the technician or front-line supervisor levels. He also thanked local officials, and the bipartisan support that Centrus has had since 2019.
He said these will be long-term well-paying jobs that are good for the area and will make people want to stay. He mentioned how a speaker at a previous event “wants the headlights reversed on U.S. 23,” with people coming in from Columbus and Dayton, instead of leaving our area.
Snider said 35 jobs are posted now on their website for across-the-board hirings in Centrus Energy, and they are hiring through the 2029-2030 timeframe. He asked the audience to spread word about what they are doing…and said that this is just the beginning.
Chillicothe Mayor Luke Feeney also gave his “State of the City” at the event.
