Independent Assessment of the Fire Protection Program at the Portsmouth Site – March 2025

July 2025,

Independent Assessment of the Fire Protection Program at the Portsmouth Site

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Enterprise Assessments (EA) conducted an independent assessment of the fire protection program (FPP) at the Portsmouth Site Building X-333 in September and October 2024. Building X-333, a hazard category 2 nuclear facility, is one of two remaining large process buildings previously used for uranium enrichment at the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant and is slated for demolition in 2025. Fluor-BWXT Portsmouth, LLC (FBP) is the decontamination and decommissioning contractor at the Portsmouth Site. This assessment evaluated the effectiveness of FBP in managing and maintaining the FPP and included fire and related safety hazards analyses; transitional fire hazards analysis (TFHA) and documented safety analysis integration; fire prevention and protection design requirements; inspection, testing, and maintenance (ITM); and contractor self-assessment. Federal oversight by the Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office (PPPO) relating to fire protection was also evaluated.