Oak Ridge Office of EM Acting Manager Laura Wilkerson, far right, and UCOR President and CEO Ken Rueter, center, walk with Deputy Energy Secretary David Turk, third from right, and his staff through the Bulk Shielding Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. EM crews are set to begin demolition on the former research reactor next month.

Oak Ridge Office of EM Acting Manager Laura Wilkerson, far right, and UCOR President and CEO Ken Rueter, center, walk with Deputy Energy Secretary David Turk, third from right, and his staff through the Bulk Shielding Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. EM crews are set to begin demolition on the former research reactor next month.

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – During his visit to Oak Ridge last week, Deputy Energy Secretary David Turk saw firsthand the impact and progress of EM’s strong partnerships at Oak Ridge.

Turk visited the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12), where he learned about the latest developments in scientific research, national security and environmental cleanup missions.

At ORNL, Turk was joined by Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks. They celebrated the dedication of Frontier — a supercomputer that is the world’s fastest and the first to break into an unprecedented level of computing performance known as exascale, a threshold of a quintillion calculations per second. Turk also learned how researchers are developing more efficient, safe and compact batteries.

Next, Turk traveled to Y-12 and met with National Nuclear Security Administration Principal Deputy Administrator Frank Rose. Together, they toured production facilities helping keep the nation safe and secure.

At ORNL and Y-12, Turk had the opportunity to see important environmental cleanup projects helping protect the investments at those sites. Oak Ridge Office of EM Acting Manager Laura Wilkerson and UCOR President and CEO Ken Rueter accompanied Turk during the visit. UCOR is EM’s cleanup contractor at Oak Ridge.

In addition to eliminating risks and enhancing safety, EM’s cleanup projects at ORNL and Y-12 are clearing land to enable modernization and mission growth. That was on display during Turk’s Oak Ridge tour.

“We’re grateful for the opportunity to highlight how DOE’s major programs in Oak Ridge are working together and showcase the very tangible benefits from those collaborations,” said Wilkerson.

Deputy Energy Secretary David Turk, center, tours an area at Oak Ridge National Laboratory that EM will transform through the demolition of former research reactors in coming months. EM will begin the teardown of the Low Intensity Test Reactor, shown here behind Turk, before the end of the year.

Deputy Energy Secretary David Turk, center, tours an area at Oak Ridge National Laboratory that EM will transform through the demolition of former research reactors in coming months. EM will begin the teardown of the Low Intensity Test Reactor, shown here behind Turk, before the end of the year.

At ORNL, Turk got an up-close perspective of former research reactors, one of which is only weeks away from being torn down. Demolition begins in September on the Bulk Shielding Reactor, known as Building 3010. Next is the knockdown of the Low Intensity Test Reactor, known as Building 3005, by the end of the year.

Those structures are located in the heart of ORNL, and their demolition will eliminate risks, clear land for research missions and enhance access to the Oak Ridge portion of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. The park also has locations at the Hanford Site in Washington state and Los Alamos, New Mexico.

While at Y-12, EM leaders discussed large cleanup projects underway and several more on the horizon that will significantly transform the site.

The tour at Y-12 included a stop at the award winning Biology Complex demolition project. In 2021, EM finished taking down that complex’s 11 structures covering an 18-acre footprint. The cleanup program will transfer the former complex site to NNSA this year for future reuse. It’s the planned location for the Lithium Processing Facility.

“An exciting aspect to our cleanup mission in Oak Ridge is that our progress always has a direct benefit to the community, DOE’s missions or both,” said Wilkerson. “Our accomplishments pave the way for additional successes.”