EM Completes Largest Ever Demolition at Y-12

Crews work to tear down the last remaining walls of the Alpha-2 building at the Y-12 National Security Complex. They took down the final portions of the building last week.

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — The final wall of a 325,000-square-foot former uranium enrichment facility fell last week, marking the completion of the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management’s (OREM) largest demolition project yet at Y-12 National Security Complex.

Demolition of the Alpha-2 building by OREM and cleanup contractor United Cleanup Oak Ridge (UCOR) cleared away a Manhattan Project-era facility, helping modernize the site to support important national security missions.

“This has been a massive undertaking,” said Alpha-2 Federal Project Director Morgan Carden. “The ability to not only complete a task of this scale, but achieving it months ahead of schedule, speaks volumes about the skill, expertise and commitment of this team.”

A view of demolition progress on Alpha-2 before Oak Ridge crews completed the teardown of the facility last week.

Preparing Alpha-2 for demolition was itself a monumental task, requiring four years of work beginning in 2020. It involved meticulous removal of radiological and chemical hazards from inside the facility and rerouting active utility lines — including steam, air, gas and water — outside the facility that are essential to Y-12’s operations.

That work was made possible through collaboration by a mix of highly skilled employees versed in a wide array of fields including characterization, safety, waste handling, project management, craft and engineering.

Alpha-2’s teardown began in September 2024 with crews finishing above grade-demolition this month.

A United Cleanup Oak Ridge 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, a crucial step that enabled demolition to begin. Each bridge weighs over 2,000 pounds.

The knockdown started with removal of the carpentry shop followed by the south and north low bay areas, and then the 80-feet tall high bay area. The demolition generated massive amounts of waste and debris — approximately 62 million pounds in total.

This project is only the beginning of Y-12’s transformation.

Crews will begin tearing down the 9401-1Steam Plant this summer, and OREM and UCOR will also complete deactivation on the next former uranium enrichment facility slated for near term demolition: the 300,000-square-foot Beta-1 facility.

An aerial view of Alpha-2’s north low bay and the high bay area before demolition. The 325,000-square-foot facility covered a 2.5-acre footprint at the Y-12 National Security Complex.

UCOR crews achieved the Alpha-2 deactivation and demolition milestones all while extending an impressive safety record. Employees there worked more than 800,000 hours without a recordable injury or illness.

With Alpha-2 torn down to the ground, characterization and debris disposition is underway — a necessary step before the project is officially deemed complete. This work involves further sampling, analyzing, downsizing, packaging and shipping of remaining waste for disposal.

That work is expected to wrap up this summer.

-Contributor: Ryan Getsi