EM, NNSA Recover Equipment in Oak Ridge Cleanup for National Security Missions

United Cleanup Oak Ridge crews isolate mechanical and electrical systems to achieve “cold and dark” status for the Beta-4 facility.

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — A partnership between the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is advancing preparations for future demolition of a legacy facility while recovering valuable equipment for national security missions.

Consolidated Nuclear Security (CNS), the management and operating contractor for the Y-12 National Security Complex at Oak Ridge, and United Cleanup Oak Ridge (UCOR), OREM’s prime cleanup contractor, are working together to safely deactivate Beta-4, a 313,000-square-foot former uranium enrichment and weapons production facility at Y-12, for teardown.

A view of the 313,000-square-foot Beta-4 facility used to enrich uranium and produce weapons during the Manhattan Project and Cold War.

As crews characterize the Manhattan Project-era facility and remove hazardous materials, they have identified and recovered more than 550 reusable items from the building. The equipment will be repurposed as spare parts and supplies for 76 NNSA facilities at Y-12. Items include steam heaters, tools, power systems, environmental controls, personal protective equipment and key infrastructure components.

The two contractors are also collaborating to transition Beta-4 to "cold and dark" status, a critical safety milestone that involves isolating and shutting off all facility utilities and removing asbestos from aging infrastructure.

“For both material recovery for reuse and achieving cold and dark, the ability for CNS and UCOR to work together to identify opportunities to help each other succeed in delivering our missions demonstrates the expertise of this team,” UCOR End State Delivery Senior Vice President Clint Wolfley said. “This takes coordination with all parties, and I’m proud that our team and CNS have worked together to make cleanup and other active missions safer and more efficient for Oak Ridge and the Department of Energy.”

Consolidated Nuclear Security team members remove hazardous energy from the Beta-4 facility as part of work to safely deactivate the building.

Earlier this year, NNSA transferred Beta-4’s operational footprint, an area equivalent to nearly seven football fields, to OREM for characterization, deactivation and demolition. Once demolition is complete, the cleared footprint will be returned to NNSA to support its mission.

“The operational turnover of Beta-4 from CNS to UCOR marks an important milestone in preparing the facility for demolition,” CNS Production and Operations Vice President Gene Sievers said. “It makes the remaining work that the UCOR team must perform more efficient and it relieves Y-12 of a legacy facility that is no longer used for production. Proceeding with urgency has been a hallmark of the partnership between CNS and UCOR.”

Crews remove asbestos insulation from the Beta-4 facility to safely access piping and isolate and shut off utilities.

Through this collaboration, OREM and NNSA are reducing environmental risks, protecting ongoing operations and clearing land to support future national security needs.

-Contributor: Ryan Getsi