EM Waste Generator Sites Ramp Up Shipments to WIPP; Convoy Carrying Transuranic Waste Departs Idaho After Cold Snap Delay; and much more!

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EM Update | Vol. 15, Issue 2 | Jan. 17, 2023

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Waste Treatment Plant Prepares to Receive Sodium Hydroxide

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Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant Commissioning Technicians Jonathan Gutierrez, left, and Miranda Korenkiewicz perform a test run for receiving a chemical at the plant’s Effluent Management Facility on the Hanford Site.

RICHLAND, Wash. – Crews recently performed a second run using water to test for receiving sodium hydroxide at the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) Effluent Management Facility (EMF) on the Hanford Site.

The sodium hydroxide will be the first chemical fed to the plant’s melter to simulate tank waste feed and will treat byproducts generated during direct-feed low-activity waste (DFLAW) operations. The chemical will also be used in the EMF treatment process and the Low-Activity Waste (LAW) Facility emissions treatment system.

“These test runs use water to help our team and the vendor simulate the receipt process and identify and resolve any questions in the equipment or procedures,” said Rick Holmes, general manager for Waste Treatment Completion Company, a subcontractor to Bechtel National Inc., which is designing, building and commissioning the WTP for EM’s Office of River Protection. “This in turn will allow the team to troubleshoot and perfect the process before bringing the actual material onsite.”

During DFLAW operations, treated waste from Hanford’s underground tanks will be fed directly to melters inside the LAW Facility. The waste will be mixed with glass-forming materials and heated in the melters, then poured into specially designed stainless steel containers for disposal at the Integrated Disposal Facility on the site. Secondary liquid, called effluent, will be generated and sent to the EMF, where excess water will be evaporated and the remaining waste returned to the LAW Facility for treatment.

-Contributor: Tyler Oates



EM Awards Savannah River Site Security Services Contract

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Centerra-SRS helicopter pilots and mechanics are certified by the Federal Aviation Administration. They ensure aircraft at the Savannah River Site are prepared to depart from staging areas in accordance with the site's mission and operational needs.


CINCINNATIEM awarded the security services contract at the Savannah River Site (SRS) near Aiken, South Carolina, to the Centerra Group of Herndon, Virginia, a single-member limited liability company and the current incumbent contractor.
The cost-plus-award-fee contract will include a five-year base period, inclusive of a 60-day transition period, and two option periods of up to five more years, for a total period of up to 10 years. The anticipated contract value is approximately $1 billion over the potential 10-year period of performance.
EM received three proposals in response to the solicitation, all of which complied with the solicitation instructions and were evaluated for the new contract. Through a healthy and rigorous competition, EM determined the Centerra proposal provided the best value to the government considering technical approach, key personnel and organization, past performance and cost and fee, resulting in a new contract with a highly capable security team at SRS.
The selected contractor will provide security functions in the areas of program management, protective force, physical protection, information security, personnel security, law enforcement, aviation operations and material transportation security and coordination. This contract will effectively implement DOE, EM and National Nuclear Security Administration Safeguards and Security (S&S) program requirements, responsibilities, obligations and activities at SRS in compliance with Departmental policy. The S&S Program ensures that the Department efficiently and effectively meets all its obligations to protect special nuclear material, other nuclear materials, classified matter, sensitive information, government property, and the safety and security of employees, contractors and the general public.
For more than 30 years, EM has remained focused on addressing the environmental legacy of nuclear weapons development and nuclear energy research that helped end World War II, win the Cold War and position the U.S. as a leader in clean nuclear energy. Collectively, EM is delivering results that are protecting the environment, supporting communities and enabling a concerted focus on safely completing the mission sooner and more efficiently.

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