EM Priority: West Valley Accomplishes Demolition of Main Plant Process Building

An aerial view of the West Valley Demonstration Project earlier this month shows the empty footprint where the Main Plant Process Building had stood prior to its demolition.

WEST VALLEY, N.Y. — The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EM) has safely completed the largest, most complex demolition of a radioactively contaminated facility at the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) to date, achieving a 2025 priority for the cleanup program.

EM and cleanup contractor CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley (CHBWV) took down the five-story, 35,100-square-foot Main Plant Process Building in a deliberate sequence and pace, removing more than 70 sections of the building and areas of the facility.

The workforce conducted significant work over two decades to prepare the Main Plant for deconstruction, which began in 2022.

“Thanks to hard work and dedication, West Valley reduced radioactivity in the building by over 98 percent, removed more than 7 miles of contaminated piping and disposed of over 50 tons of contaminated equipment, all while working safely and compliantly in alignment with EM’s mission, on time and under budget by over $30 million,” EM Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Roger Jarrell said.

EMTV: Watch this video highlighting the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management's accomplishment completing the demolition of the Main Plant Process Building at the West Valley Demonstration Project.

Before and after demolition: In the first photo, workers take the “first bite” during the start of the Main Plant Process Building demolition in 2022. In the second photo, the Fuel Receiving and Storage Facility is now visible from this vantage point following the completion of the Main Plant Process Building demolition this month. Workers have begun groundwork to install a protective cover over the Main Plant footprint.

Constructed between 1963-1966, the Main Plant was a commercial reprocessing facility used to recover reusable plutonium and uranium from spent nuclear reactor fuel. It operated from 1966 to 1972, processing about 640 metric tons of irradiated nuclear fuel. The building was radioactively contaminated from fuel reprocessing operations and related activities, and contained hazardous materials, including asbestos insulation, lead and polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs.

“Our workforce was deliberate in the planning, deactivation and execution of this work,” West Valley Project Management Assistant Director Stephen Bousquet said. “Every effort has been made to implement robust work controls to help protect the workforce, the public and the environment.”