EM contractor Central Plateau Cleanup Company recently resumed final cleanup activities within the former Plutonium Finishing Plant footprint on the Hanford Site following the historic demolition of the plant’s iconic main processing facility in early 2020.
EM contractor Central Plateau Cleanup Company recently resumed final cleanup activities within the former Plutonium Finishing Plant footprint on the Hanford Site following the historic demolition of the plant’s iconic main processing facility in 2020.

RICHLAND, Wash. – EM Richland Operations Office (RL) and contractor Central Plateau Cleanup Company (CPCCo) recently resumed final cleanup activities within the former Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) footprint at the Hanford Site following the historic demolition of PFP’s main processing facility early last year.

Crews at the PFP site will remove, package, and safely dispose of the rubble from demolition of the plant’s Plutonium Reclamation Facility. Then, they’ll take soil samples from beneath the PFP building pads and stabilize the site grounds with a protective cover that will limit the effects of water, wind, and heat.

“This critical risk-reduction work builds on the incredible accomplishment of completing demolition of the PFP main processing facility in early 2020,” said Tom Teynor, federal project director for PFP demolition at RL. “The progress toward safe completion of final activities at PFP continues to be a collaborative effort between the Department, our contractor, labor organizations, and regulators.”

A worker with EM contractor Central Plateau Cleanup Company surveys a loaded waste container at the site of the former Plutonium Finishing Plant to ensure it is safe for transfer to Hanford’s on-site disposal facility.
A worker with EM contractor Central Plateau Cleanup Company surveys a loaded waste container at the site of the former Plutonium Finishing Plant to ensure it is safe for transfer to Hanford’s on-site disposal facility.

Rubble removal and packaging was about 25% complete when the work was halted and the site was placed in a safe configuration in March 2020, when Hanford entered an essential mission-critical operations posture in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The packaged rubble will be permanently disposed at the Environmental Restoration Disposal Facility, Hanford’s on-site engineered landfill.

The work will continue to be done under the same enhanced safety controls that have proven effective in protecting workers, the public, and the environment.

“PFP demolition forever changed the skyline at Hanford,” said Bob Nichols, director for CPCCo’s inner area end states group. “I’m proud of our team for safely resuming final activities at the PFP site, and I look forward to continuing to work with the Department of Energy and our other cleanup partners to carry this years-long project across the finish line.”