The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) EM-LA legacy cleanup contractor, N3B, earned more than $13.5 million, or 79 percent, of the fee available during the performance evaluation period of fiscal year 2024, according to a recently released scorecard.
Environmental Management Los Alamos Field Office
December 17, 2024
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News Release
December 17, 2024
EM Awards Los Alamos Contractor 79 Percent of Available Fee
LOS ALAMOS, N.M. – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Environmental Management Los Alamos Field Office (EM-LA) legacy cleanup contractor, Newport News Nuclear BWXT-Los Alamos, LLC (N3B), earned more than $13.5 million, or 79 percent, of the fee available during the performance evaluation period of fiscal year 2024, according to a recently released scorecard.
As part of EM-LA’s commitment to transparency in legacy cleanup programs at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) with stakeholders and the community, it releases information annually relating to contractor fee payments — earned by completing the work required per the terms of the contract.
N3B’s performance from October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2024 was evaluated for quality assurance/safety, schedule, cost control, management, and regulatory compliance.
The contractor achieved these major accomplishments during the period: completed the Middle DP Road Site cleanup with regulatory approval from the New Mexico Environment Department; established an occupational medicine center to address employee health; successfully demonstrated the Universal Drum Assay and Segregation System (UDASS) system to more accurately analyze the contents of legacy radioactive waste drums; and restarted the Glovebag Drill and Drain process line to enable more efficient processing of waste for shipment to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.
In February 2024, EM-LA received approval from the New Mexico Environment Department on the assessment report that concluded investigation and remediation of soil and debris at the Middle DP Road Site was complete. The land is an important part of Los Alamos County’s economic development efforts. During the project, more than 5,917 cubic yards of waste and debris was excavated for packaging and shipment to licensed, off-site disposal facilities.
N3B resumed a process called “Drill and Drain” to remove items from transuranic waste drums that do not meet the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant’s waste acceptance criteria. In addition, N3B is utilizing Glovebag processes to further enhance the safety and efficiency of waste handling. The Glovebag processes allow operators to transfer and remediate prohibited waste materials from a parent drum into a new, lined daughter drum securely.
Areas for improvement included coordination with DOE on key cleanup deliverables and schedule, and quality of subcontractor oversight, particularly in off-site activities.
View the N3B scorecard here.
Media Contact:
Stephanie Gallagher
stephanie.gallagher@em.doe.gov, 505.257.8563