Oak Ridge Today

Crews preparing for first demolition of uranium enrichment building at Y-12

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A U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management crew member works to install one of three bridges to support the relocation of utilities away from the Alpha-2 facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex. Each bridge weighs over 2,000 pounds. (Photo courtesy DOE OREM)

From U.S. Department of Energy “EM Update” email newsletter

U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management crews at Oak Ridge are moving closer toward completing the first-ever demolition of a former uranium enrichment facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex as crews reroute utilities around the structure.

Workers are slated to begin demolition on the Alpha-2 building this fall. Initiating teardown of the facility is an EM priority for 2024.

The 325,000-square-foot Manhattan Project-era facility is one of nine uranium enrichment process buildings constructed at Y-12. Its removal by the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) and contractor UCOR will eliminate a high-risk excess contaminated facility, enable modernization, and clear land to support national security missions.

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Man accused of crashing into Y-12 barrier, fleeing inside plant

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Jonpaul Payne

A 27-year-old Lenoir City man allegedly drove a car without permission, did not stop at a Y-12 National Security Complex entrance, struck a barrier, and fled on foot inside the nuclear weapons plant before being detained, court records said.

The incident was reported at about 5 a.m. Saturday. At that time, the Oak Ridge Police Department sent a text message that entrance to Y-12 was closed on Bear Creek Road in response to the incident.

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Crews prepare Y-12 building for demolition by removing asbestos, water

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Built in 1944, Beta-1 is a former Manhattan Project era enrichment facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex. The Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management expects to demolish the 210,000-square-foot facility in 2026. (Photo courtesy Y-12/UCOR)

Workers have finished major pre-demolition work on a wartime building at Y-12 National Security Complex.

The deactivation work at the Beta-1 building included removing asbestos; old, brittle thorium-contaminated piping; and more than two million gallons of water.

The Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management and its contractor UCOR have been working toward the deactivation milestone since 2020, a press release said. Workers finished deactivating the above-ground floors of the Beta-1 facility in December. Now, only deactivation work in the basement remains before the teardown can begin. Demolition of Beta-1 is expected to begin in 2026.

Beta-1 was built in 1944 to enrich uranium for the top-secret Manhattan Project during World War II. That federal project built the world’s first atomic bombs. Beta-1, a 210,000-square-foot, two-story building, was later converted to laboratory space for fusion-energy technology.

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CNS honors Master Machine as small business of year

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Consolidated Nuclear Security presented its small business of the year award to Master Machine Inc. (MMI) of Chattanooga during a recent Partners in Excellence supplier outreach event. (Submitted photo)

Consolidated Nuclear Security presented the small business of the year award to Master Machine Incorporated during a recent Partners in Excellence supplier outreach event. The Chattanooga-based business focuses on machining, weld fabrication, and engineering services.

MMI has been a supplier to Consolidated Nuclear Security for more than five years, starting with Y-12 National Security Complex and adding the Pantex Plant in 2022.

“Master Machine consistently demonstrates the ability to identify and implement manufacturing methods needed to address complicated projects,” said Rick Hillert, senior director of Supply Chain Management. The company also made $1 million in plant and equipment improvements to address tool needs for CNS, a press release said.

The company, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, was nominated by Roger Aigner, subcontract technical representative for Packaging and Transportation Engineering at Y-12. In his nomination, Aigner noted: “They are professional, capable, and a pleasure to work with. They understand the CNS mission and are well deserving of this award.”

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Y-12 honored with DOE sustainability partnership award

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Pictured above are Y-12 refrigerant cylinders to be sent for reclamation. (Photo by CNS Y-12)

The Y-12 National Security Complex recently received a U.S. Department of Energy Sustainability Award for Strategic Partnerships for Sustainability.

The Y-12 team was recognized for its efforts to improve efficiency, sustainability, and resiliency of the site through partnerships with other DOE contractors and private companies, a press release said.

Through its sustainability program, Y-12 said it is reducing greenhouse gases, minimizing waste, and improving waste treatment on a large scale.

The partnership efforts for which the team was recognized include Energy Savings Performance Contract implementation, including helping to reuse refrigerant, using additive manufacturing for unique part production, and implementing wastewater treatment process improvements.

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Y-12 celebrates new fire station, emergency operations center

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Y-12 Site Manager Gene Sievers talks about the plant’s new fire station and emergency operations center during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A new fire station and emergency operations center at the Y-12 National Security Complex will replace “severely outdated” buildings that were constructed in the 1940s, about eight decades ago. The new buildings will improve working conditions, consolidate operations now conducted in separate places, and provide ample space for large equipment like fire trucks, federal officials and Y-12 leaders said during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday.

Workers at the plant, which manufactures components for the nation’s nuclear weapons, among other activities, have been talking about the new facilities for at least 13 years. The start of construction was celebrated with a groundbreaking ceremony in April 2021. The new buildings, reported to have cost $68 million, are part of a “huge transformation,” an effort to modernize the site.

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Officers can learn how to respond to radiological emergencies, thefts

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Consolidated Nuclear Security, which operates Y-12 National Security Complex, had a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Emergency Response Training Facility on Monday, Jan. 9, 2023. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A new center in west Oak Ridge will train law enforcement officers how to respond to radiological emergencies or potential thefts of radioactive materials.

The Y-12 National Security Complex had a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Emergency Response Training Facility on Monday, January 9.

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Y-12 replacing old, high-risk water lines

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The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Sixty-year-old water lines are being replaced at the Y-12 National Security Complex, and 27 of the old lines are identified as high-risk and a Top 10 threat.

Work to replace the pipes began in July 2022 and will continue in April 2023, according to an emailed response to questions provided by spokesperson Kathryn King. The water line replacements are scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2025 at a projected cost of $38.9 million. The old cast iron pipes will be replaced with new ductile iron pipes.

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Safety board wants briefing on Y-12 uranium reactions

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The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A federal safety board has asked for a report and briefing after 15 exothermic (heat-producing) reactions of uranium materials were reported at the Y-12 National Security Complex between 2016 and 2021.

The report and briefing have been requested by the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, which wants a response from the National Nuclear Safety Administration. The NNSA is part of the U.S. Department of Energy and oversees the nation’s nuclear weapons work, including at Y-12.

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Y-12, Pantex employees celebrated for inventions, patents

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The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Employees at Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge and Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas, were recently celebrated for inventions and patents.

Y-12 employees filed eight invention disclosures during fiscal year 2021, a press release said. The inventions ranged from environmental and electrical load controllers to diagnostic tools, sensors, and unique material processes. Among those recognized were Eric Spurgeon, Justin Holland, Rachel Bachorek, Robert Cole, Ed Ripley, and Jacob Miller, the press release said.

At Pantex, Stephen Jones and Brian Harlow filed an invention disclosure for laser pulse shaping for a laser-powered bed fusion printer.

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NNSA purchases LeMond building

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LeMond-Composites-Building-Aug-30-2016-2-Web

The National Nuclear Security Administration has purchased the LeMond Carbon building at Horizon Center in west Oak Ridge. The building is pictured above in August 2016.

 

Note: This story was updated at 9:45 a.m. Dec. 30 to correct that the building has been purchased.

The National Nuclear Security Administration has purchased a building in west Oak Ridge that has been the site of two major industrial announcements, one by CVMR and the other by LeMond Composites. Both projects had promised at least $125 million in investments and hundreds of jobs, but neither has proceeded as expected.

In the five or six years since those announcements, there have been few signs of activity at the facility when Oak Ridge Today has stopped by, although company executives have held out hope, when contacted, that their projects could still proceed.

The LeMond Carbon Facility is on Palladium Way at Horizon Center. The NNSA plans to use the building for the development organization at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge.

The sale price was $6.9 million, and the NNSA had 18 months to buy the building under an option-to-purchase agreement, the first of its kind for the agency. The sale was completed December 15. The NNSA is part of the U.S. Department of Energy, and it maintains the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile, among other activities.

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LeMond-Composites-Building-Aug-30-2016-2-Web
The National Nuclear Security Administration has purchased the LeMond Carbon building at Horizon Center in west Oak Ridge. The building is pictured above in August 2016.

Note: This story was updated at 9:45 a.m. Dec. 30 to correct that the NNSA has purchased the LeMond building.

The National Nuclear Security Administration has purchased a building in west Oak Ridge that has been the site of two major industrial announcements, one by CVMR and the other by LeMond Composites. Both projects had promised at least $125 million in investments and hundreds of jobs, but neither has proceeded as expected.


LeMond-Composites-Building-Aug-30-2016-2-Web

The National Nuclear Security Administration has purchased the LeMond Carbon building at Horizon Center in west Oak Ridge. The building is pictured above in August 2016.

 

Note: This story was updated at 9:45 a.m. Dec. 30 to correct that the building has been purchased.

The National Nuclear Security Administration has purchased a building in west Oak Ridge that has been the site of two major industrial announcements, one by CVMR and the other by LeMond Composites. Both projects had promised at least $125 million in investments and hundreds of jobs, but neither has proceeded as expected.

In the five or six years since those announcements, there have been few signs of activity at the facility when Oak Ridge Today has stopped by, although company executives have held out hope, when contacted, that their projects could still proceed.

The LeMond Carbon Facility is on Palladium Way at Horizon Center. The NNSA plans to use the building for the development organization at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge.

The sale price was $6.9 million, and the NNSA had 18 months to buy the building under an option-to-purchase agreement, the first of its kind for the agency. The sale was completed December 15. The NNSA is part of the U.S. Department of Energy, and it maintains the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile, among other activities.

The rest of this story is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today. Already a member? Great! Thank you! Sign in here. Not a member? No problem! Subscribe here: Basic

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If you prefer to send a check, you may do so by mailing one to: Oak Ridge Today P.O. Box 6064 Oak Ridge, TN 37831 We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here. We also accept donations. You can donate here. A donation of $50 or more will make you eligible for a subscription. Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support!

NNSA awards Y-12, Pantex contract

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The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A contract worth $2.8 billion per year has been awarded to Nuclear Production One LLC to manage and operate the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge and Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration announced the contract award on Monday.

NPOne is a limited liability company that consists of Fluor Federal Services Incorporate and AECOM Energy and Construction, an Amentum company, a press release said.

“For over 40 years, the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas has been the nation’s primary nuclear weapon assembly, disassembly, and life-extension center,” NNSA Administrator Jill Hruby said in the press release. “The Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, has been strengthening our national security and reducing the global threat from weapons of mass destruction since 1943. I look forward to NPOne helping us accomplish our mission.”

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