September 22, 2022 – The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EM) today released its EM Program Plan, a 2022 priority outlining a decision roadmap the cleanup program will use as a guide over the next two decades.

Click here [https://www.energy.gov/em/annual‐priorities‐strategic‐vision‐and‐program‐plan] to access the EM Program Plan.

“Cleanup progress has now reached a level that lets us focus on clearing the decks and tackling remaining hurdles to sustained success,” EM Senior Advisor William “Ike” White said at the National Cleanup Workshop today. “As the cleanup mission approaches a crossroads, we’re down to some of the toughest and most difficult challenges.” Link to News Flash

September 22, 2022 – The Department of Energy and its cleanup contractor CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley, LLC recently completed the relocation of eight, High‐ Integrity Containers contained within their concrete shield containers, ranging in weight from 68,000 to 80,000 pounds, from their location near the Main Plant Process Building at the West Valley Demonstration Project.

Each HIC contains water filtering materials from the former Fuel Receiving and Storage facility water treatment system. The FRS was historically used to receive and store spent nuclear fuel during fuel reprocessing operations from 1966 to 1972. Link to article

September 15, 2022 – The Department of Energy (DOE) and its prime contractor at the West Valley Demonstration Project, completed the deactivation of the Ventilation Wash Room, which housed a ventilation “scrubber” that removed airborne particulates resulting from fuel reprocessing operations that ceased in 1972.

During deactivation, the scrubber was prepared for removal and will be removed during the future demolition of the Main Plant Process Building.

“The safe execution operations of this work is due to the combination of extensive planning, deliberate speed, and using worker feedback throughout the deactivation,” said Steve Bousquet Department of Energy federal project director for the demolition. “The WVDP team continues its strong commitment to safely protecting its workers, the public, and the environment while reducing legacy risks at the site.” Link to article

September 15, 2022 – The following is a guest article from the United State Department of Energy project director at the West Valley Demonstration Project Bryan Bower.

The U. S. Department of Energy plans to commence the controlled deconstruction of the Main Plant Process Building in September, as part of its ongoing cleanup efforts at the West Valley Demonstration Project site. This facility removal and major milestone is expected to take about three years to complete.

Our dedicated workforce has conducted significant work over the past two decades to prepare the MPPB for deconstruction in a manner that is protective of human health and the surrounding environment. These employees have safely reduced the radioactivity in the facility by over 98 percent through the removal of more than seven miles of contaminated piping and over 50 tons of contaminated equipment. This effort also included the use of liquid nitrogen at up to 60,000 psi (pounds per square inch) to provide an aggressive, yet safe, cleaning application to ensure that deconstruction is safe and protective of the surrounding community. Link to article

September 13, 2022 – EM has updated its popular “By the Numbers” feature, which illustrates cleanup progress at EM sites through quick and clear infographics.

Facts and figures on each major EM site, plus the Savannah River National Laboratory, can be found here
[https://www.energy.gov/em/articles/em‐numbers]. Each site page also features a key look forward, in gold lettering, to an anticipated achievement over the next decade, as described in more detail in the Strategic Vision 2022‐2032 [https://www.energy.gov/em/annual‐priorities‐strategic‐vision], a blueprint to the program’s anticipated accomplishments over the next decade that will protect the public and environment. Link to Update