Olean Times Herald, May 31, 2023 —

The Department of Energy and its prime contractor at the West Valley Demonstration Project continue the dismantlement of the main plant process building’s chemical process cell.

The work is expected to be completed over several months and will include the removal of racks used to store high‐level waste canisters decades ago. The main plant is one of the site’s last remaining major facilities whose successful demolition will further reduce environmental risks.

A 2023 priority for WVDP is to dispose of 9,000 tons of main plant demolition waste. The demolition is expected to take approximately 30 months to complete.

Earlier this year, crews used a heavy‐duty excavator with a hydraulic hammer to take out the outermost three feet of the cell’s five‐foot‐thick reinforced‐concrete walls. This lower‐risk work allowed crews with CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley (CHBWV) to perform other deconstruction activities in parallel, helping accelerate the project’s schedule and lower costs.

“Starting this specific sequence in the deconstruction of the main plant is the result of our planning, preparation and decontamination efforts,” said Stephen Bousquet, federal project director for the main plant deconstruction. “Our approach also incorporates best practices and lessons learned, including the rate and sequence of the deconstruction and the use of engineered and robust safety controls.”

Located at ground level on the west side of the plant, the more than 2,000‐square‐foot cell was designed to dissolve sheared spent nuclear fuel and to reduce the volume of high‐level waste generated in fuel reprocessing. The floor and the lower portion of its walls are lined with stainless steel.

Between 1985 and 1987, workers performed remote decontamination activities to support the conversion of the cell into a facility for the interim storage of vitrified high‐level waste canisters. Crews installed storage racks for the 10‐foot‐long canisters.

In 2017, workers removed 278 high‐level waste canisters from that storage facility and safely relocated them to a temporary onsite storage pad until a permanent repository is available for their disposal.

EM Update, May 23, 2023 —

EM and its cleanup contractor at the West Valley Demonstration Project continue to dismantle a cell of the Main Plant Process Building, one of the site’s last remaining major facilities whose successful demolition will further reduce environmental risks.

The work at the Chemical Process Cell is expected to be completed over several months and will include removal of racks used to store high‐level waste canister decades ago.

An EM 2023 priority is to dispose of 9,000 tons of Main Plant demolition waste. The demolition is expected to take approximately 30 months to complete.

Earlier this year, crews used a heavy‐duty excavator with a hydraulic hammer to take out the outermost 3 feet of the cell’s 5‐foot‐thick reinforced‐concrete walls. This lower‐risk work allowed crews with CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley (CHBWV) to perform other deconstruction activities in parallel, helping accelerate the project’s schedule and lower cost.

“Starting this specific sequence in the deconstruction of the Main Plant is the result of our planning, preparation and decontamination efforts,” said Stephen Bousquet, EM West Valley federal project director for the Main Plant Deconstruction. “Our approach also incorporates best practices and lessons learned, including the rate and sequence of the deconstruction, and the use of engineered and robust safety controls.”

Located at ground level on the west side of the plant, the more than 2,000‐square‐foot cell was designed to dissolve sheared spent nuclear fuel and to reduce the volume of high‐level waste generated in fuel reprocessing. The floor and the lower portion of its walls are lines with stainless steel.

Between 1985 and 1987, workers performed remote decontamination activities to support the conversion of the cell into a facility for the interim storage of vitrified high‐level waste canisters. Crews installed storage racks for the 10‐footlong canisters.

In 2017, EM workers removed 278 high‐level waste canisters from that storage facility and safely relocated them to a temporary onsite storage pad until a permanent repository is available for their disposal.

Springville Journal, May 18, 2023 —

Councilmember Kimberly Krzemien reported that the West Valley Task Force board recently went to Washington D.C. to meet with elected officials. Some congresspeople requested private tours of the West Valley Demonstration Project; Drozd would like to see these tours with the officials open to the public. Read the full article here.

EM News Flash, May 18, 2023 —

EM today released its Strategic Vision 2023‐2033, a blueprint to the program’s anticipated cleanup achievements over the next decade.

The newly updated Strategic Vision document provides a clear, concise roadmap to guide EM priorities for the next decade. It comes as EM makes its way into a new era across the cleanup complex, focused on achieving goals in addressing tank waste, demolishing contaminated buildings, remediating contaminated soil and groundwater, and safely managing and disposing of waste. Read the full article here.

Olean Times Herald, May 9, 2023 —

The West Valley Demonstration Project’s prime contractor to the U.S. Department of Energy is helping support small businesses during National Small Business week.

Every year since 1963, the President of the United States has issued a proclamation announcing National Small Business Week, which recognizes the critical contributions of America’s entrepreneurs and small business owners.

For Fiscal Year 2023, the WVDP Procurement Department has awarded more than $4.9 million to small businesses within New York state. Small businesses help support the cleanup efforts at the West Valley Demonstration Project throughout the year.

Product and service procurements include, but are not limited to supplies and equipment, information technology, personal protective equipment, design and engineering services, demolition equipment, office space rental and health services.

Procurement activities are conducted in a manner that encourages the highest degree of ethical conduct and public trust.

“We are committed to offering a fair and equitable opportunity for small, small disadvantaged, women‐owned small, veteran‐owned small, service‐disabled veteran‐owned small and HUBZone small businesses to compete for products and services at the site,” said Lynn Holfedler, Procurement Manager. “We are proud to be a part of this effort, and the contributions small business make in our cleanup mission.”

In addition, WVDP supports the small business objectives of the Department of Energy and the New York State Energy Research and Development Agency (NYSERDA) and recognizes that diversity in subcontracting provides a vital link to the local community, strengthens the economy and represents best business practices.