The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced plans to convert a 580-square-mile section of the Hanford Site in southeast Washington, once used for plutonium production during the Manhattan Project, into a massive 1 gigawatt (GW) solar farm. This project, part of the DOE's "Cleanup to Clean Energy" initiative, aims to repurpose the 8,000-acre area for clean energy and energy storage.

If completed, it will become the largest solar farm in the U.S. Hecate Energy has been selected to negotiate a realty agreement for the development, following a competitive process. This initiative represents a significant shift from the site's nuclear past, which included the production of materials for World War II atomic bombs and resulted in extensive radioactive waste. The project is also expected to contribute to the region's ongoing environmental cleanup and sustainability efforts.