January 13, 2022 – Workers continue to reduce risks and prepare to deactivate the main plant process building for what will be the West Valley Demonstration Project’s most complex demolition since crews knocked down the vitrification facility in 2018.

As part of the latest work, crews are removing a 26‐inch‐diameter ventilation duct that carried exhaust from past operations at the MPPB. They are performing the work remotely to reduce exposure risk.

“The effort in the vent wash room involves extensive planning and deliberate execution to perform the work safely and compliantly,” Steve Bousquet said, EM WVDP deputy federal project director for the Main Plant. “The WVDP team continues to reduce legacy risks while protecting employees, the public and the environment.” Link to article

January 13, 2022 – The Department of Energy and cleanup contractor CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley (CHBWV) have replaced six railroad ties along nearly 8,000 feet of track within the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) following an annual inspection.

DOE resumed using the rail line in June to ship waste offsite for disposal. Shipping the waste by rail enhances safety by reducing vehicle traffic associated with completing the shipments via truck.

“The rail line will be used for the future demolition of the Main Plant Process Building and future cleanup work at the site,” said Linda Michalczak, CHBWV projects manager. “This rail line will continue to play an important role in the present and future cleanup of the site.” Link to article

January 11, 2022 – Link to Update

2021 Year in Review: EM leveraged the results of years of successful work in 2021 to launch a new era for DOE’s cleanup mission, all while continuing to manage the challenging conditions of the COVID‐19 pandemic. EM summarized its cleanup accomplishments across the complex, including numerous major program priorities, in its 2021 Year in Review released in late December.

Rail Line: EM and cleanup contractor CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley (CHBWV) have replaced six railroad ties along nearly 8,000 feet of track within the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) following an annual inspection.

EM resumed using the rail line in June to ship waste offsite for disposal. Shipping the waste by rail enhances safety by reducing vehicle traffic associated with completing the shipments via truck. Train shipments increase efficiency by allowing more material to be shipped compared to trucking. The train shipments also cost less than truck shipments, saving taxpayer dollars.

January 8, 2022 – Workers continue to reduce risks and prepare to deactivate the Main Plant Process Building for what will be the West Valley Demonstration Project’s most complex demolition since crews knocked down the Vitrification Facility in 2018.

As part of the latest work, crews are removing a 26‐inch‐diameter ventilation duct that carried exhaust from past operations at the main plant. They are performing the work remotely to reduce exposure risk.

“The effort in the vent wash room involves extensive planning and deliberate execution to perform the work safely and compliantly,” said Steve Bousquet, EM WVDP deputy federal project director for the main plant. “The WVDP team continues to reduce legacy risks while protecting employees, the public and the environment.” Link to article

January 6, 2022 – 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 2022 as crews continue work on the site.

In 2021, crews from CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley, LLC at the West Valley Demonstration Project completed a variety of projects including restoring rail shipment capabilities for the site, continuing preparation for the main plant process building demolition, installing a new water collection and treatment 2 of 3 system, repurposing an administrative trailer complex into a multipurpose building to support MPPB demolition, placing several cells used during spent fuel reprocessing operations into a readiness state for future demolition, removing the west wall of the MPPB to continue deactivation inside the acid recovery cell and continuing aggressive decontamination in the product purification cell‐south. Link to article