DOE Seeks Developers for Hanford Land Leases
The Department of Energy is offering up to 3,000 acres at the Hanford site for energy and advanced manufacturing projects.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Nuclear
The Department of Energy's Office of Environmental Management issued a request for offer on November 6, 2026, seeking companies to lease Hanford site land for affordable energy generation, advanced manufacturing, critical materials, and computing. DOE-EM plans to make more than 3,000 acres available under the request.
Why it matters
The move reuses a former plutonium production site, which operated from 1943 to 1989 for nuclear weapons, for energy and industrial development. It follows DOE-EM's push to repurpose nuclear cleanup sites under its American Energy Hubs initiative.
DOE-EM is accepting proposals until January 29, 2027, and will host a virtual industry day for interested developers on December 9. Tract 1 covers 1,876 acres available to start, while Tract 2's 1,249 acres may open to development later.
The players
Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management
The office responsible for cleanup of former nuclear weapons production sites across the United States, including Hanford.
Hanford site
A former plutonium production complex in southeastern Washington that is now undergoing nuclear cleanup and repurposing.
The details
Developers must build, bring, or buy the energy needed for operations, and the power generation facility need not be on site. Energy projects must establish connections with electric utilities, and both tracts sit near the Columbia River just south of the Cascade Advanced Energy Facility site.
Timeline
1943 to 1989: Plutonium was produced at Hanford for nuclear weapons.
1989: Hanford cleanup began under a three-agency agreement.
1999: DOE adopted the Comprehensive Land Use Plan for Hanford.
2023: Hanford was selected under the Cleanup to Clean Energy initiative.
November 6, 2026: DOE-EM issued the request for offer.
Legacy Sites, New Uses
The request for offer extends the Cleanup to Clean Energy initiative, under which Hanford was selected in 2023, by offering land for specific energy and advanced manufacturing projects. It mirrors DOE's American Energy Hubs approach, which also promotes the East Tennessee Technology Park at Oak Ridge as a site for similar development.
Interested developers must register for the December 9 industry day by emailing a designated address. Applicants should plan for the requirement to secure their own energy supply and connect to an electric utility.
The takeaway
Former nuclear sites are being offered for new energy and manufacturing uses, but proposals must bring their own power and utility connections. Developers should watch the December industry day and the January 29, 2027 deadline.
What happens next
DOE-EM will host a virtual industry day on December 9, and proposals are due January 29, 2027.
Further reading
For more on federal efforts to repurpose atomic-era sites, browse Nuclear coverage.
