Ventilation System Demolition in Full Swing at Hanford’s Plutonium Finishing Plant

RICHLAND, Wash. – The skyline will soon change at the Hanford Site’s Plutonium Finishing Plant. This time-lapse video shows workers with EM contractor CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company (CH2M) creating a gravel pad for the facility’s ventilation stack to fall onto when it’s demolished. This weekend, a CH2M subcontractor will use a small amount of explosives to weaken the stack so it falls to the ground. The technique has been used to safely demolish similar structures at Hanford and other EM sites. It’s considered safer and more efficient than having workers at elevated levels use cranes and other equipment to demolish the tall structure. Adjacent to the stack is a below-grade building for the facility’s powerful exhaust fans. In June, workers shut those fans off before beginning demolition of the fan house.