Y‑12’s new Emergency Operations Center will be built east of the existing Plant Shift Superintendent’s building. (Artist concept courtesy NNSA)
The final design was completed earlier this year for a new Emergency Operations Center at the Y-12 National Security Complex, officials said.
The project will replace an outdated Manhattan Project-era facility by building a new Plant Shift Superintendent’s facility, a new Technical Support Center, and a new plant Fire Department Alarm Room, Y-12 said. The new facility will replace the current Plant Shift Superintendent’s office and Technical Support Center in Building 9706-2. Y-12 will be able to use the new center as an Emergency Command Center for an operational emergency.
Y-12 said the Emergency Operations Center project team completed the final design package ahead of schedule and under budget.
“Completion of the design marks a major milestone in project progress,” Y-12 said in April 18 newsletter. “Using this completed design package, the project team can complete the balance of the project documentation needed to receive authorization for construction from National Nuclear Security Administration.”
On Wednesday, NNSA spokesperson Steven Wyatt said the existing Plant Shift Superintendent’s office is located in the east end of Y-12 south of the Jack Case Center. That office was built in the 1940s and is obsolete, Wyatt said.
The new center will be located in the eastern portion of the Y-12 site near the current facility.
Officials are still working to establish the cost and schedule baseline, Wyatt said.
The new facility will not replace the offsite Y-12 Emergency Operations Center, which is located at the East Tennessee Technology Park, Wyatt said.
“That facility is in good shape and is expected to be in operations for many years to come,” he said.
Here’s more information about the new Emergency Operations Center, or EOC, provided by Wyatt:
“The facility provides site-level support to the Incident Command, including activating and deploying site response assets to the scene, mutual aid requests, technical support such as site field monitoring, and initial coordination with state and local governments. This facility also supports Plant Shift Supervisor operations around the clock and serves as the overall coordinator of Y-12 National Security Complex operations. The final design was completed in January 2017. The next step in the process is to establish the cost and schedule baseline and solicit for construction bids for the new facility. NNSA anticipates these milestones occurring later this year, and can provide an update of the total estimated cost of the building at that time.”
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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