DOE Contractors Assume GDP Clean-up Operations
Fluor-B&W Portsmouth and Babcock & Wilcox Conversion Services will continue work at gaseous diffusion plants in Ohio and Kentucky.
The Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced that Fluor-B&W Portsmouth LLC (FBP) and Babcock & Wilcox Conversion Services, LLC (BWCS) assumed clean-up operations on March 29 in Ohio and Kentucky. FBP will be working at the Portsmouth, Ohio site, and BWC will continue operations at both Portsmouth and the Paducah, Kentucky, sites.
FBP assumed phased-in cleanup operations from the United States Enrichment Corporation (USEC) and LATA/Parallax, Portsmouth, LLC (LPP) for maintaining and preparing Cold War-era uranium enrichment facilities for decontamination and decommissioning (tear down) at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant (GDP). FBP has an initial five-year contract period, with an option to extend up to another five years.
DOE contracted with FBP to undertake the demolition of three massive process facilities with cleaning up and remediating adjacent grounds for future development. To perform the work FBP is expected to eventually employ approximately 1,600 people, primarily existing site personnel from LPP and USEC.
Additionally, Uranium Disposition Services’ (UDS) contract has ended and BWCS assumed operations of the Depleted Uranium Hexafluoride (DUF6) facilities at the Portsmouth GDP, and the Paducah GDP. The contract calls for converting the DUF6 in 62,000 legacy storage cylinders into a stable compound suitable for transportation or beneficial reuse.
The Portsmouth DUF6 inventory is expected to be processed in approximately 18 years and Paducah’s larger inventory within 25 years. BWCS will employ approximately 380 employees between the sites.
Bill Murphie, Portsmouth/Paducah project manager, said, “The new contractors, Fluor and Babcock Wilcox will take us forward in accomplishing our mission to clean up legacy waste and restore the sites for new beneficial reuse.
“We were fortunate to have our former contractors USEC, LPP and UDS; they accomplished a lot during their contracts and prepared the highly skilled workforce to safely perform the significant decommissioning mission looking forward,” he added.
Source: DOE