July 4, 2020 – The West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) is located at the Western New York Nuclear Service Center (WNYNSC), a 3,338-acre site 30 miles south of Buffalo, New York. The site is owned by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and is home to the only commercial spent nuclear fuel reprocessing facility to operate in the United States. In 1962, Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc. (NFS) entered into agreements with the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and New York State to construct, license, and operate the commercial spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plant. NFS built and operated the plant and two waste burial grounds from 1963 to 1972. NFS processed 640 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel and generated over 600,000 gallons of liquid high-level waste (HLW). In 1976, NFS exercised its contractual right to yield the WNYNSC’s responsibility back to New York State and currently NYSERDA holds title and manages it. Link to document

June 23, 2020 – An EM facility disposition crew recently replaced a hoist in the Main Plant Process Building, marking the West Valley Demonstration Project’s (WVDP) first work activity in which workers donned personal protective equipment while following safety protocols due to COVID-19.

Replacing the hoist in the Equipment Decontamination Room, as WVDP operated in an essential mission critical posture, also signified progress toward a broader project — the future demolition of the Main Plant Process Building — included in EM’s priorities for 2020. Link to Update

June 18, 2020 – Two articles:

FIRST: The Ashford Town Board, at its June 10 meeting, approved a resolution for the town’s notice of internet to act as the lead agency for the BQ Energy LLC/West Valley Solar LLC Project.

The project is a 10‐megawatt photovoltaic facility consisting of two five‐megawatt projects from BQ Energy LLC and its affiliate West Valley Solar LLC planned to be constructed and operate on 54‐acres of land on either side of Buttermilk Road at the Western New York Nuclear Service Center in Ashford. Work would include the installation of solar panels, installation of ancillary and support equipment, a buried electrical line and access road and related improvements. The project will provide two‐megawatts of community distributed electricity and eight‐megawatts to larger users.

SECOND: Crews continued work on a smaller scale than usual while in an essential mission‐critical operating posture at EM’s West Valley Demonstration Project. While deactivation and decommissioning operations were put on hold, workers completed critical compliance inspections, environmental monitoring, and other activities.

“The protection of our workers, the public and the environment has always been our core value,” EM WVDP Director Bryan Bower said. “During our pandemic response, the WVDP team maintained our focus on safety and compliance, while continuing to advance our mission to eliminate legacy risks at the site.”

Link to both articles

June 9, 2020 – While deactivation and decommissioning operations were put on hold, workers at the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) completed critical compliance inspections, environmental monitoring, and other activities. 

Employees installed a new hoist in the Equipment Decontamination Room inside the Main Plant Process Building. This new hoist will be used for moving waste boxes and drums when the site returns to full operations and resumes deactivation work inside a former reprocessing cell in the building. Link to Update

May 28, 2020 – After the success of its Solarize Southtowns campaign, Green Springville was recently awarded a 2020 Environmental Excellence Award from the Erie County Environmental Management Council.

The Environmental Excellence Award program began in 2015 to “recognize exceptional projects carried out by municipal and non‐profit organizations in Erie County that stand to have a significant and lasting positive impact on the natural environment. The awards program is designed to help showcase and publicly promote projects that can be replicated in community throughout the Western New York region.” Link to article