September Energycast Now Available
 In this episode, we look back at OREM’s biggest accomplishments of Fiscal Year 2026. Meanwhile, cleanup crews are taking down the Old Steam Plant at Y-12, removing hazards and clearing space for modernization. We also head to Washington, D.C., for highlights from the National Cleanup Workshop and a discussion on how environmental restoration at DOE sites supports the nation’s energy and security future. As Oak Ridge’s nuclear industry continues to grow, Kairos Power is launching NuCAMP, a new initiative that brings together industry, research, and education partners to train the workforce and advance nuclear manufacturing and construction. Finally, Oak Ridge’s historic Atomic Elks Lodge celebrated the groundbreaking of a new community enrichment center in the Scarboro community — supported by a $2.4 million Department of Energy grant.
Demolition Begins on Former Isotope Labs at ORNL
 OREM has begun demolishing a cluster of highly contaminated buildings located on one of the most challenging footprints at ORNL. The aging infrastructure presents risks within its tight quarters in the heart of the laboratory’s central campus. Isotope Row consists of 10 facilities constructed from the late 1940s to early 1960s to support the laboratory’s isotopes program. The facilities remained in place after operations ended in the early 1990s. With each teardown, OREM eliminates hazards, enables modernization and provides land for new facilities to advance research and innovation.
Upgrades Ensure ORNL's Critical Missions Continue
 Crews finished a 2.5-year piping replacement project crucial for maintaining ongoing missions and daily operations at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. This life-extension effort involved replacing all above-ground piping for the Liquid and Gaseous Waste Operations (LGWO) system’s Process Waste Facility. The upgrades ensure LGWO continues to safely collect, store, and efficiently transfer wastewater for treatment without interruption to ongoing cleanup and research missions.
Crews Demolish Two Facilities in One Year at Y-12
For the first time, cleanup crews have conducted demolition on two facilities at the Y-12 National Security Complex within a single fiscal year. UCOR recently began demolishing the 13,000-square-foot Old Steam Plant, also known as Building 9401-1. Crews shifted to this project after completing the teardown of Alpha-2, a former Manhattan Project-era uranium enrichment facility that spanned 2.5 acres of land at Y-12, earlier this year. These projects continue to transform and modernize the site, highlighting the impact of thoughtful planning and sequencing. Work also continues at several other major Y-12 facilities.
EM, NNSA Recover Equipment for National Security Missions
A partnership between OREM and NNSA is advancing preparations for future demolition of a legacy facility while recovering valuable equipment for national security missions. Consolidated Nuclear Security (CNS) and United Cleanup Oak Ridge (UCOR) are working together to safely deactivate Beta-4 for teardown. As crews characterize the Manhattan Project-era facility and remove hazardous materials, they have identified and recovered more than 550 reusable items from the building. The equipment will be repurposed as spare parts and supplies for 76 NNSA facilities at Y-12.
New Scarboro Center Funded by EM Grant
Community members recently broke ground on a first-of-its-kind enrichment center in the Scarboro community, funded by a $2.4-million Community Capacity Building Grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management (EM). The center will provide medical care, training, community gathering space, an entrepreneurial incubator, and a place to preserve Scarboro history. The EM grant program reinvests in communities impacted by decades of nuclear defense and research missions and currently hosting environmental cleanup sites.
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