In the News

Below are articles and other news published since the last West Valley Citizen Task Force Meeting. They relate to the West Valley Demonstration Project, nuclear waste cleanup or are otherwise relevant or of potential interest to stakeholders interested in the Project. After each Citizen Task Force Meeting, these articles are compiled into a single document and may be found with the meeting materials for that month.

LARGEST OF WEST VALLEYS’ WASTE TANKS REMOVED DURING DEMOLITION 

February 8, 2024, ECA Update

The Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management and its cleanup contractor at the West Valley Demonstration Project have removed the largest of nine tanks from a liquid waste cell as part of the ongoing demolition of the Main Plant Process Building, the office announced on February 6. 

The tanks were used to collect liquid waste from past nuclear fuel reprocessing operations, and later, high-level radioactive waste vitrification processes. 

Read the full article here.

Largest tank removed from West Valley nuclear waste site 

February 7, 2024, Olean Times Herald

The largest of nine tanks from a liquid waste cell at the Main Plant Process Building at the West Valley Demonstration Project has been removed. 

The 20-ton tank was recently removed by the cleanup contractor, CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley (CHBWV), as part of the demolition of the Main Plant Process Building, one of the few original structures remaining at the West Valley Demonstration Project. 

Read the full article here.

West Valley Completes Demolition of Former Security Guardhouse 

February 6, 2024, EM Update

EM’s West Valley Demonstration Project safely demolished a former security guardhouse built in 1965, one of the first facilities constructed at the former commercial nuclear fuel reprocessing facility. 

Originally, the facility was only 168 square feet until two additions increased its square footage to 700. A new guardhouse was constructed last year to beter serve the continued needs of the site as it progresses towards the next cleanup phase. 

“While not the most complex or difficult demolition we have done at West Valley, it is still a significant historic milestone in our cleanup efforts. Our crews did an excellent job in their safe execution of this demolition work,” said Jennifer Dundas, EM’s West Valley assistant director for the Office of Technical Services. 

While the old guardhouse served its purpose well over the years, West Valley’s new facility boasts more space for officers, including updated offices, modern equipment, badging for site staff and storage space. 

Demolition began in mid-December, and the building structure was demolished and packaged over two days. Workers used a large excavator with a bucket and hydraulic thumb atachment to take down the building and load debris into containers to ship offsite for disposal. Last month, workers also completed the teardown of old locker rooms near the old guardhouse, also replaced due to their age. 

“The completion of this demolition changes the landscape of the site,” said Jason Casper, president and general manager for CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley (CHBWV), EM’s cleanup contractor at West Valley. “It is a reminder of the hard work that’s being done to clean up the site for future generations.” 

Dave Schuman, CHBWV safeguards and security manager, reiterated Casper’s sentiments. 

“For me, the demolition of this building signifies an end to an era,” he said. “For almost 60 years, this building served our protective force and could be seen from the road by residents and visitors alike.” 

US takes another look at recycling nuclear fuel 

February 1, 2024, Physics Today

 As the Biden administration seeks to triple the nation’s nuclear energy capacity in response to climate change, it is edging closer to lifting a more than four-decade-long moratorium that the US has observed on the recovery of plutonium from spent nuclear fuel. Ending the prohibition is critical to the plans of some advanced reactor developers, but it would be a major change in US nonproliferation policy, which opposes separating plutonium that could potentially be stolen or diverted to construct a nuclear explosive device. Current policy also recognizes that reprocessing by the US could encourage other nations with nuclear power to follow suit. 

Department of Energy officials say the moratorium on commercial reprocessing will remain in place for now. But the Biden administration has shown a receptiveness to reprocessing that contrasts sharply with his Democratic predecessors, dating to Jimmy Carter. “The Biden–Harris administration and DOE recognize the importance of developing practical uses for America’s used nuclear fuel,” energy secretary Jennifer Granholm stated in October 2022. “Recycling nuclear waste for clean energy generation can significantly reduce the amount of spent fuel at nuclear sites and increase economic stability for the communities leading this important work.” 

Read the full article here.

Progress with WVDP decommissioning to continue in 2024 

January 18, 2024, Herald Courier

 Workers at the West Valley Demonstration Project continue to move forward in their efforts to decommission the West Valley Nuclear Service Center and build on the success from last year. New projects and goals have been set for 2024 as crews continue work on the site. 

After starting the demolition of the Main Plant Process Building in the Fall of 2022, the Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management and its prime contractor CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley, LLC at the West Valley Demonstration Project has safely shipped over 9,000 tons of debris from the demolition of the Main Plant Process Building this year. For the calendar year, crews have packaged and shipped by rail over 500 waste containers for safe disposal off site, with each container loaded with an average of 38,000 pounds of debris. 

WVDP crews this past year also safely processed, over-packed and shipped two of seven degraded Chemical Process Cell waste containers off-site for disposal. Both containers had a combined weight of 169,000 pounds. The over 2,000 square-foot cell was designed to dissolve sheared spent nuclear fuel and reduce the volume of high-level waste generated fuel reprocessing and was later used as a storage interim space for vitrified high-level waste canisters. 

Read the full article here.

Upcoming meeting information

The next CTF meeting will be on Wednesday, March 27, 2024 from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
Location: Ashford Office Complex, 9030 Route 219, West Valley
On-line webinar: Register here
Agenda

For more information

on the West Valley Citizen Task Force, please contact:

Nancy Raca, Facilitator
West Valley Citizen Task Force
c/o Highland Planning
nancy@highland-planning.com