With One Mission Complete, Idaho Crew Pivots to Support Other Cleanup Work
April 28, 2025
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — After successfully completing their mission in one of the largest demolition projects in Idaho National Laboratory Site history, members of the Idaho Cleanup Project (ICP) workforce are being trained for other cleanup work at the site. Last year, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management crews with contractor Idaho Environmental Coalition (IEC) removed the three remaining enclosures at the Accelerated Retrieval Project (ARP) several months ahead of schedule. The large tent-like enclosures, which supported exhumation of buried waste at the Subsurface Disposal Area, totaled more than 520,000 square feet of space. This project was completed as part of Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act activities in Idaho and in accordance with federal code regulating government property removal. Nearly two dozen employees transitioned from the ARP decontamination and demolition (D&D) project to other D&D and waste management projects, including the Naval Reactors Facility (NRF) D&D project.
Idaho Cleanup Project demolition crews prepare to pull down a large, steel Accelerated Retrieval Project enclosure at the Idaho National Laboratory Site.
Shawna Burtenshaw, IEC’s senior manager over D&D operations projects, recognizes the impact of the additional workers to that project’s mission. “Those who joined our team were already trained as D&D skilled workers and transitioned seamlessly with minimal additional training,” Burtenshaw said. “Their impact was felt immediately as we have been able to more effectively distribute the available work among our teams.” The NRF D&D project is decommissioning and demolishing three legacy naval reactor prototype vessels: the Submarine 1st Generation Westinghouse (S1W), the Aircraft Carrier 1st Generation Westinghouse (A1W) and the Submarine 5th Generation General Electric (S5G). D&D of the S1W is on track for completion this year. A1W and S5G were transferred to IEC ahead of schedule and are in the early stages of D&D.
Former ARP D&D employees are also using remote-handling capabilities to treat and repackage transuranic waste inside two hot cells at the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center (INTEC). The hot cells — large concrete enclosures with shielded glass and mechanical manipulators that allow operators to safely handle highly radioactive or hazardous materials — were constructed to assist in the spent nuclear fuel reprocessing mission at INTEC until 1992. The D&D workers are receiving qualifications to perform work as operators and waste handlers and will support efforts to prepare waste packages for eventual shipment for offsite disposal. Their work helps ICP meet an important commitment to the state of Idaho. Other former ARP D&D employees are supporting maintenance crews at INTEC, where their efforts ensure safety for employees who work at the facility. IEC President and Program Manager Dan Coyne recognizes the impact of these employees and the importance of maintaining an experienced, skilled workforce. “There is no doubt that our workforce is our greatest asset, and the success of our cleanup efforts is directly reflected in their commitment to safely and effectively completing our mission each day,” said Coyne. “Idahoans can be proud of the work our employees perform.”
Date Created: 3/18/2025 7:30 PM
Title: With One Mission Complete, Idaho Crew Pivots to Support Other Cleanup Work
|
Secretary Wright Energized by Visit to Oak Ridge Cleanup Projects
April 28, 2025
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – During his recent visit to Oak Ridge, Energy Secretary Chris Wright observed cleanup projects that are helping modernize one of the nation’s most important national security sites and opening land for next-generation nuclear companies. Wright’s visit with the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) began at the Y-12 National Security Complex, where he saw the crucial work underway to protect the nation. However, Y-12’s ongoing missions are happening near many deteriorated, contaminated facilities dating to the Manhattan Project and Cold War. Leadership from OREM and cleanup contractor UCOR detailed how U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management cleanup efforts are removing those structures to eliminate hazards and provide space for new infrastructure supporting national security missions. “As a fan of history, this is a critical area for the Manhattan Project, it’s a critical area for winning WWII and it will be a critical area for our future,” said Wright. “Seeing the people, seeing the buildings, seeing the infrastructure, and hearing the bold plans, I'm energized.”
Energy Secretary Chris Wright, center, speaks with U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty, right, and U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann at the East Tennessee Technology Park in Oak Ridge.
OREM has already torn down the former Biology Complex to make way for the Lithium Processing Facility. Y-12 is a supplier of lithium materials to support U.S. defense missions, and it’s the only DOE and National Nuclear Security Administration facility with lithium processing and production capabilities. Meanwhile, crews are demolishing Alpha-2, a massive former enrichment facility categorized as “high risk” due to its condition and contents. Preparations are also underway to demolish other sprawling former enrichment facilities at Y-12. These projects will continue enhancing safety and clearing land to support missions at the site.
Wright also gathered with congressional and business leaders at Oak Ridge’s East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP). The meeting highlighted OREM’s efforts to return government-owned land it has cleaned back to the community to attract new economic development. Those transfers have been successful in bringing next-generation nuclear companies and significant private investments to Oak Ridge. OREM has transferred 1,800 acres, including a 24-acre area last month. It will continue adding to that total with a 33-acre tract later this year, and a 667-acre parcel next year. That land is home to businesses making a projected capital investment of $7 billion, and they expect to generate 1,700 private-sector jobs. “Our goal is to unleash American energy, and one of the key pillars of that is next-generation nuclear,” said Wright. “We want to get nuclear launched again, and I see that energy, that activity, that land, that willingness to do it right here. I think the nuclear renaissance could begin right here.”
OREM completed major field work at ETTP last year, culminating more than 20 years of cleanup. Along the way, Oak Ridge became the first site in the world to remove a former enrichment complex, and the first DOE site to pursue reindustrialization. OREM’s cleanup and transfers have transformed ETTP from a government-owned, shuttered uranium enrichment complex into a privately owned industrial park that has become a hub for nuclear energy development. “It's a perfect example of unleashing American Energy, taking federal resources with a legacy use, cleaning them up and getting them ready, and turning them over to the private sector to invest private dollars and innovation to grow energy,” Wright added. -Contributor: Ben Williams
-Source: EM Update Newsletter
Date Created: 3/18/2025 11:00 AM
Title: Secretary Wright Energized by Visit to Oak Ridge Cleanup Projects
|
Work Underway Prepares for Next Wave of Demolitions in Oak Ridge
April 28, 2025
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — While U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management crews are busy with their largest demolition yet at the Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12), other team members are forging the way for the next batch of major teardowns in Oak Ridge. The Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) and cleanup contractor UCOR are deactivating more than 400,000 square feet of Manhattan Project and Cold War-era facilities — equaling nearly 10 acres — at Y-12 and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The deactivation phase readies structures for demolition. It involves environmental sampling, utility disconnections, asbestos and hazardous waste removal, and other tasks to ensure the buildings are safe to demolish. “Most of the time deactivation isn’t visible to outside observers, and it doesn’t capture headlines,” OREM Operations Management Division Director Larry Perkins said. “However, it plays a critical role in accomplishing our mission. You can’t safely remove old, contaminated buildings or transform the landscape without it.”
The deactivation phase prepares structures for safe demolition. A team inside the Beta-1 facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex conducting deactivation work discusses utility isolations.
At ORNL, former research reactors and isotope production labs totaling 102,000 square feet are in various stages of deactivation. Around 300,000 square feet of facilities are being deactivated at Y-12, including Beta-1, a Manhattan Project-era uranium enrichment facility. “This is complex work as the teams review old building drawings that might date back to the 1940s, and we remove hazardous materials and equipment that were left behind,” says UCOR Chief Operating Officer Pat Timbes. “Every step of the deactivation process must be planned carefully as workers could encounter unexpected conditions that must be resolved before moving forward.” UCOR General Foreman Juli Foster and her team have been working on deactivation related work for more than a year at ORNL’s Building 3517, the former Fission Project Development Laboratory. Teams are drilling access points into the building’s contaminated hot cells for remote camera inspection. “This work involved months of mock-ups, practice drilling and coordination with radiological control personnel and carpenters,” says Foster. “When we encountered challenges with an overhead crane, our team figured out a solution to keep safely working, and we’re nearing completion.”
Greg Buckner, UCOR’s Y-12 deactivation and demolition characterization field lead, has worked 20 years with safety, industrial hygiene and radiological control teams on complex deactivation work. His more recent projects involve Alpha-2, now being demolished, and ongoing deactivation work at Beta-1 and Alpha-4. “Our team ensures those facilities are safe for workers during deactivation activities like piping and waste removal, so it’s rewarding for our crews to see a large building like Alpha-2 coming down, and the role we played in clearing that area at Y-12,” said Buckner. The work happening now is removing risks and laying the groundwork for numerous demolitions on the horizon at Y-12 and ORNL. The deactivation underway will enable the near-term removal of the Radioisotope Development Laboratory, Oak Ridge Research Reactor, Graphite Reactor support facilities, and Isotope Row facilities in the heart of ORNL to clear space for research missions, and the removal of Beta-1 at Y-12 to enable modernization. -Contributor: Carol Hendrycks
-Source: EM Update Newsletter
Date Created: 3/4/2025 4:00 PM
Title: Work Underway Prepares for Next Wave of Demolitions in Oak Ridge
|
Hanford Workers Begin Removing Radioactive Waste From 23rd Underground Tank
April 28, 2025
RICHLAND, Wash. — The Hanford Field Office and its tank operations contractor recently began retrieving radioactive and chemical waste from another large, underground storage tank at the Hanford Site. Single-shell Tank A-102 is a million-gallon tank that contains about 41,000 gallons of solid waste. It is the 23rd tank on the site to have waste retrieved. The waste is being transferred to newer, double-shell tanks for continued safe storage until it is treated for disposal. “Moving waste from underground tanks is not easy, but Hanford teams continue to build on their extensive experience as they take another significant step in our risk-reduction mission,” said Jim Greene, Hanford program manager for single-shell tank retrievals.
Workers remotely operate equipment inside the Hanford Site’s Tank A-102 from a control room.
Hanford is home to 177 underground storage tanks built in groups called tank farms. Workers built A-102 and five other million-gallon tanks in the A Tank Farm in the 1950s to store waste from plutonium processing during the Cold War era. To prepare for retrieving waste from the tanks, workers replaced old equipment and built the infrastructure to remove waste from multiple tanks.
During retrieval, workers remotely operate equipment to break down the solid waste in Tank A-102 with pressurized water and pump out the waste. “We are excited to be starting field operations on another tank,” said Peggy Hamilton, the contractor’s retrievals manager. “It is a testament to the entire Tank Farms team’s talent, hard work and dedication that we are able to safely continue advancing the cleanup mission.”
Date Created: 3/4/2025 11:00 AM
Title: Hanford Workers Begin Removing Radioactive Waste From 23rd Underground Tank
|
Oak Ridge Restores Full Production Capabilities at Waste Processing Facility
April 28, 2025
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — The Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) and contractor UCOR have successfully reestablished full production capacity at the Transuranic Waste Processing Center. Recent repairs have teams at the facility working full speed again as they process and repackage waste for shipment and permanent disposal to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico. Years of defense-related research conducted primarily at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in decades past generated Oak Ridge’s transuranic material. A large, 900-pound waste-drum crusher at the center had broken. It plays a key role in waste processing operations, requiring teams to replace the equipment. When drums arrive at the center for processing, employees empty them to access, process and repackage the waste for shipment and disposal. Once emptied, the drums are reduced in size and disposed of as well. The mission of the crusher is to do exactly that: squash the empty drums. However, its outage presented multiple challenges.
The Transuranic Waste Processing Center sits on 25 acres at the Oak Ridge Reservation and has 38,000 square feet of waste processing buildings and support facilities. Since 2008, employees have completed more than 7,200 waste shipments from the center to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico.
With the crusher out of commission, workers wore protective suits and manually cut and reduced the size of the old drums. While this approach kept work moving forward, it also presented more risks, took more time and was more labor intensive. The equipment’s failure also impacted activities in the work area below the crusher. “With the drum crusher’s location on top of the contact-handled waste glovebox in the facility’s main operating gallery, we couldn’t process waste in that glovebox, and we were also forced to reduce the size of those waste drums in an alternate process area,” UCOR Transuranic Waste Processing Center Area Project Manager Pat Rapp said. Replacing the waste-drum crusher required entering a confined space. Safety, maintenance and waste operator teams planned and trained extensively before entering the room. The challenging work included conducting a critical lift, working from scaffolding and navigating tight clearance spaces on the replacement. “We had a lot of great support to get this issue safely resolved and restore our full waste processing posture for our ongoing cellulosic waste campaign,” UCOR End State Delivery Director Clint Wolfley said.
Workers are in the middle of a campaign to process 100 drums of waste containing cellulosic material. This material poses risks of combusting if left untreated; however, OREM and UCOR developed one of the first approved processes to treat this waste in the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management complex. That approval, which occurred last year, allows employees to advance work that is eliminating Oak Ridge's remaining inventory of transuranic waste stored onsite. OREM and UCOR expect to complete processing the cellulosic waste this year. To date, Oak Ridge has shipped 94% of its contact-handled waste and 78% of its remote-handled waste to WIPP for permanent emplacement in the underground repository. -Contributor: Chris Caldwell
-Source: EM Update Newsletter
Date Created: 2/4/2025 12:30 PM
Title: Oak Ridge Restores Full Production Capabilities at Waste Processing Facility
|
Hanford Facility Nearly Ready for Disposal of Vitrified Tank Waste
April 28, 2025
RICHLAND, Wash. — The construction work is done, the heavy equipment is onsite, the regulatory permits are in place, and the operating procedures are almost complete. It won’t be long before the Integrated Disposal Facility (IDF) is ready for its critical role in the mission to treat tank waste through the Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste (DFLAW) Program at the Hanford Site. The IDF is an engineered landfill that will allow for safe disposal of vitrified, or immobilized in glass, low-activity waste from Hanford’s Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) when it begins operations. “Completing activities at IDF is another important step toward the startup of our DFLAW mission to begin treating tank waste, a top Hanford Site priority,” said Carmen Rodriguez, Hanford Field Office federal project engineer.
Workers with Hanford Site contractor Central Plateau Cleanup Company are conducting performance demonstrations to ensure the Integrated Disposal Facility is ready to dispose of vitrified, or immobilized in glass, low-activity waste from Hanford’s underground tanks later this year.
Located in Hanford’s Central Plateau, the IDF is approximately 1,500 feet wide, 765 feet long and 45 feet deep. It includes two disposal areas called cells, but it can be expanded as needed to six disposal cells. To protect groundwater under IDF, the disposal cells are double lined and include a leachate collection system. Leachate is contaminated liquid generated from water percolating through waste. The system is engineered to collect water from rain, snowmelt and dust suppression. Two 400,000-gallon storage tanks at the facility hold the leachate until workers can send it to an onsite facility for treatment to remove contaminants. Hanford Field Office contractor Central Plateau Cleanup Company (CPCCo) is currently conducting comprehensive testing at IDF to validate procedures and verify workers perform all disposal operations safely and proficiently. Final assessments are expected by the end of March. “Thanks to the IDF team’s hard work and commitment to safety over the past several years, we look forward to completing final preparations at the facility to support the DFLAW Program, one of Hanford’s most meaningful and historic environmental cleanup projects,” said Paul Branson, CPCCo disposal facilities manager. Workers should deliver the first containers of vitrified waste from WTP to IDF for disposal later this year.
Date Created: 2/4/2025 11:00 AM
Title: Hanford Facility Nearly Ready for Disposal of Vitrified Tank Waste
|
Los Alamos Begins Project to Deactivate, Decommission and Remove Historic Facility
April 28, 2025
LOS ALAMOS, N.M. — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Environmental Management Los Alamos Field Office (EM-LA) has commenced work to deactivate, decommission and remove the Ion Beam Facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The project is part of the DOE Office of Environmental Management’s mission to address excess facilities resulting from nuclear weapons production and research during the Manhattan Project and Cold War era. EM-LA’s deactivation, decommissioning and removal contractor, Aptim Federal Services (APTIM), is managing the project.
Historical photos of the Ion Beam Facility. Left: The tower housed the vertical accelerator, with the tunnel connecting it to office buildings on the right. Center: The control room for the vertical Van de Graaff accelerator. Right: The south side of the Ion Beam Facility. Demolition of the facility's administrative wing is anticipated to begin this fall. The deactivation, decommissioning and removal project is expected to span over five years.
As part of the initial project work, APTIM has mobilized onsite and set up work trailers, displayed safety signage and constructed protective fencing. The work process includes removal of contaminants while prioritizing the protection of workers, the local community and the environment. APTIM crews have begun performing interior facility sampling at the estimated 60,000-square-foot facility to assess for potential contamination. They also are conducting verification surveys to enable implementation of proper controls and safety measures during removal of materials. Air monitoring will confirm that all controls are properly functioning during the project. APTIM is working closely with EM-LA, LANL management and operations contractor Triad National Security and the National Nuclear Security Administration Los Alamos Field Office on all areas of the project. The Ion Beam Facility housed two Van de Graaff accelerators, which at the time of construction were among the largest in the world. The accelerators were some of LANL’s most significant scientific tools for conducting nuclear experiments. They played a major role in pure physics research and experiments that helped develop America's nuclear arsenal during the 1950s and 1960s. Demolition of the facility's administrative wing is anticipated to begin this fall. The deactivation, decommissioning and removal project is expected to span over five years.
-Source: EM Update Newsletter
Date Created: 2/4/2025 10:00 AM
Title: Los Alamos Begins Project to Deactivate, Decommission and Remove Historic Facility
|
Idaho Waste Treatment Facility Employs Successful Radiation Protection Program
April 28, 2025
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — Since beginning radiological operations in April 2023, the Integrated Waste Treatment Unit (IWTU) at the Idaho Cleanup Project (ICP) has run a successful radiation protection program to control contamination and minimize personnel exposures while the plant converts liquid radioactive waste to a safer granular solid. IWTU began operations on April 11, 2023, treating 68,000 gallons of the 900,000 gallons of sodium-bearing waste from three nearby underground tanks during the next five months. During a subsequent outage for maintenance, team members opened IWTU’s cells to replace filters and conduct inspections and repairs. They also designed and built mock-ups, tent enclosures and one-of-a-kind tools; maximized ventilation controls; and continually decontaminated areas to keep personnel exposures to a minimum and contain contamination within the cells themselves.
Idaho Environmental Coalition (IEC) employee McKay Lowder uses a manipulator to take process samples following the treatment of sodium-bearing waste at the Integrated Waste Treatment Unit at the Idaho National Laboratory Site. IEC employee Alan Middleton, background, supports the effort.
IWTU Nuclear Operations Senior Director Jimmy Spells said he was pleased with everyone’s preparation and execution of work. “Preplanning and worker input ensured that our radiological outage was executed safely and efficiently,” he said. “This is especially notable since this was also the first actual radiological work experience for much of the IWTU team.” Bill Kirby, chief operating officer for ICP contractor Idaho Environmental Coalition (IEC), agreed. “Exceptional planning with the involvement of radiological engineering, operations, work control, and system engineering really made the difference,” he said. “Our use of mock-ups and dry runs gave people the confidence that this challenging work could be done safely, and they delivered.” Process gas filter bundle replacement was particularly challenging because of high radiation and contamination levels. During radiological operations, gases along with light particles generated in the Denitration Mineralization Reformer — IWTU’s primary reaction vessel – are drawn to the process gas filter, which filters out fine solids. The process gas filter consists of 18 bundles containing long, cylindrical ceramic filters. “Personnel successfully replaced all 18 process gas filter bundles and kept exposure levels an order of magnitude below allowable U.S. Department of Energy annual limits,” said Radiation Protection, Safety, Health & Fire Protection Senior Manager Allen Nellesen. Since resuming radiological operations in August last year, IWTU has operated reliably and has treated more than 160,000 gallons of sodium-bearing waste — more than 228,000 gallons overall. “The IWTU radiation protection monitoring program is paramount to that successful waste treatment track record,” Nellesen said. The program continuously tracks and trends dose rates and contamination levels throughout the facility, which allows the organization to react to changing conditions before regulatory limits are reached or issues arise. -Contributor: Erik Simpson
-Source: EM Update Newsletter
Date Created: 1/14/2025 2:00 PM
Title: Idaho Waste Treatment Facility Employs Successful Radiation Protection Program
|
Mock-up Training Benefits High-Priority ORNL Cleanup Project
April 28, 2025
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — How can employees safely perform repairs inside highly contaminated rooms used to process nuclear waste? That’s a question Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) contractor Isotek is answering through advanced training that is helping prepare and protect employees while also facilitating efficient operations to keep Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s (ORNL) highest priority cleanup project on track. OREM and Isotek are working to eliminate the nation’s inventory of uranium-233 (U-233) from storage at ORNL. U-233 presents risks and is costly to keep safe and secure. Originally created in the 1950s and 1960s for potential use in reactors, it proved to be an unviable fuel source. The remaining inventory of U-233 stored onsite requires processing to convert it into a form safe for shipment and permanent disposal. That work involves Isotek employees placing the material in heavily shielded rooms, called hot cells, and handling that material using mechanical arm manipulators. Equipment used inside the hot cells degrades over time from wear and tear and from high radiological dose. To replace the equipment, workers must occasionally enter the hot cells. “The hot cells are heavily contaminated from the highly radioactive material we process within them,” Isotek Radiological Control Manager Rodney Bauman said. “We want to be inside hot cells as little as possible.”
Inside a mock-up, Isotek employees practice the steps involved in replacing hot cell equipment. The mock-up features the exact dimensions of an actual hot cell.
Entries occur approximately five times a year — only when equipment inside the rooms cannot be fixed or replaced using the openings in the hot cells. Isotek is preparing employees for those entries by providing them opportunities to dress in personal protective equipment and practice tasks before performing them in high radiation areas. Radiological control, maintenance and engineering teams fabricated a mock-up hot cell offsite so key personnel could perform and perfect hot cell entry procedures before ever entering the hazard zone. “The idea behind the mock-up hot cell is that we can get comfortable performing our work in all the additional layers of personal protective equipment so that when we enter the real hot cell, we’re able to perform our work more efficiently,” Bauman said. “This is a great way to help keep our workers safe.” The mock-up was constructed to the exact measurements of a hot cell so workers can adapt to the dimensions of the limited space. Staff must learn to perform tasks with minimal contact with surfaces and equipment inside, which helps them avoid areas with high levels of contamination and reduce the likelihood of spreading contamination. This training is especially timely because these rooms are becoming more contaminated as crews process material from the inventory with increasingly higher levels of radiation. Hot cell entries also provide an opportunity to make improvements to the processing system. “We know a lot more about the layout needed in the hot cell now than we did when we first started,” Isotek Process Engineer Jesse Jensen said. “We were able to redesign some of the equipment to take better advantage of the space and hopefully make it last longer, while also making it easier to replace and maintain in the future.” The hot cell mock-up practice has already paid off. In recent weeks, Isotek workers entered one of the hot cells and replaced all the processing equipment inside. The activity involved loosening and fastening hose lines, lifting and replacing ion-exchange columns stands, and the challenging process of communicating to personnel outside the hot cell using radios in their protective suits. The hot cell entry was safe and successful with new and improved equipment installed to support future processing operations. Isotek is coming off a successful 2024 campaign. Employees processed more than 90 canisters of high-dose material last year, exceeding the goal of 35. They also continued extracting medical isotopes from the U-233 material to support next-generation cancer treatment research. -Contributor: John Gray
-Source: EM Update Newsletter
Date Created: 1/14/2025 11:30 AM
Title: Mock-up Training Benefits High-Priority ORNL Cleanup Project
|