The US Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded a $3bn contract to West Valley Cleanup Alliance (WVCA), a joint venture led by BWXT Technical Services Group and including Jacobs Technology, and Geosyntec Consultants. WVCA also includes teaming subcontractors Perma-Fix Environmental Services and North Wind Portage.
The IDIQ (Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity) contract, for clean-up operations at the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) in West Valley (New York) has a 10-year ordering period that can be performed for up to 15 years.
The WVDP is an approximately 150-acre area located 35 miles south of Buffalo, New York. The site is owned by the New York State Energy Research & Development Authority and hosts the US’s only commercial used nuclear fuel reprocessing facility that operated from 1963 to 1972. The site processed 640 tonnes of used nuclear fuel and generated over 600,000 gallons of liquid high-level waste. In 1980, Congress passed the WVDP Act, which required DOE to conduct a high-level waste management demonstration project at the site and transport it to a federal repository for disposal.
Under the contract, WVCA will continue the current clean-up mission to include, but not be limited to, the demolition of remaining near- and below-grade components of the main plant process building; additional facility deactivation and demolition; contaminated soils remediation and disposition; waste management and legacy waste disposition; safeguards and security; environmental monitoring; surveillance and maintenance; and programme support activities.
“BWXT has played an important role in D&D at West Valley since August 2011 as a member of the current clean-up contractor, said Heatherly Dukes, President of BWXT Technical Services Group. “Having personally worked at the site several years ago, I’m especially pleased to continue our collaboration with the customer and the community on this important effort. While we have made significant progress, there remains more to do under this phase of the project, and we’re looking forward to continuing the successful cleanup in the years to come.”
