August 25, 2022 – The Department of Energy and West Valley Demonstration Project recently completed the deactivation of the Product Purification Cell-South (PPC-S),which contained high levels of contamination from former nuclear fuel reprocessing operations.

This effort has contributed to an overall reduction in radiological hazards that will support the demolition of the Main Plant Process Building, a DOE priority for 2022.

The PPC-S measures 5-by-16-by-57 feet and during nuclear fuel reprocessing was used to house the vessels associated with plutonium separation, concentration, material controls and batching for shipping.

Due to its configuration, this cell was a potentially oxygen-deficient confined workspace that required additional planning and work controls, including a trained and ready confined space rescue team. Link to article

August 22, 2022 – The largest – and often deemed the hottest – nuclear building at the West Valley Demonstration Project will start to come down next month.

With concrete walls one to five feet thick, it will be a laborious process to dismantle the building safely to contain the remaining radiation. The engineered demolition is expected to take 32 months.

“It’s not like taking a demolition ball and knocking it down,” said Joseph Pillittere, spokesman for the contractor, CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley. “We want to take it down piece by piece to maintain the stability of the structure. This is all preplanned.”

It is a major step in the more than half century of history at the former reprocessing plant 35 miles south of Buffalo, where 640 metric tons of irradiated nuclear fuel was processed to recover reusable plutonium and uranium from spent nuclear reactor fuel. Link to article

August 11, 2022 – Crews have completed decontamination in the most highly radioactive cell at the Main Plant Process Building at the West Valley Demonstration project.

Cleanup of the Product Purification Cell‐South, which resembled a 57‐foot tall elevator shaft, “contributed to an overall reduction in radiological hazards that will support the demolition of the Main Plant,” according to Joseph Pillittere, a spokesman for CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley, the contractor working on the nuclear cleanup at the West Valley site.

The U.S. Department of Energy is removing as much radioactive and other hazardous material like asbestos as possible before demolition of the plant begins sometime this fall.

The West Valley plant, which operated from the mid 1960s to 1972, was the first commercial reprocessing site for spent nuclear fuel rods. The owner, Nuclear Fuel Services, shut down the plant rather than install additional environmental safeguards.

Product Purification Cell‐South was used to house vessels associated with plutonium separation, concentration, material controls and batching for shipping. Link to article

August 9, 2022 – EM and its cleanup contractor at the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) recently overcame unique challenges and successfully finished deactivating a highly contaminated cell resembling an elevator shaft in the Main Plant Process Building.

The successful cleanup of the Product Purification Cell‐South by EM and CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley (CHBWV) contributed to an overall reduction in radiological hazards that will support the demolition of the Main Plant, an EM 2022 priority.

During former nuclear fuel reprocessing operations, the cell was used to house vessels associated with plutonium separation, concentration, material controls and batching for shipping.

Due to its configuration, the cell was a potentially oxygen‐deficient workspace that required additional planning and work controls, including a trained confined space rescue team. Link to Update

July 28, 2022 – Environmental Management and its prime contractor CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley (CHBWV) completed the permeable treatment wall soil and structure removal project and restored the area as part of its ongoing cleanup efforts at the West Valley Demonstration Project.

Materials from the soil and structure removal project were used in constructing the permeable treatment wall, which remains in place.

“This project demonstrated the benefits of using the rail line for waste operations, as well as for increased safety, efficiency, and cost‐savings,” said Steve Bousquet, Department of Energy‐WVDP Deputy Federal Project Director for the Main Plant Process Building. “Our dedicated employees continue to find ways to further improve our cleanup efforts as we look for ways to safely accelerate decommissioning and remediation efforts for the future.” Link to article