AIKEN, S.C. – Cleanup of the Savannah River Site (SRS) is set to reach an important milestone in May with completion of the Salt Waste Processing...
January 14, 2016
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SRS employees and contractors gather to celebrate SWPF contractor Parsons' Star status, the highest recognition in the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP). DOE launched VPP in 1994 to encourage and recognize excellence in occupational safety and health protection. The program outlines areas DOE contractors and subcontractors can exceed compliance with DOE orders and Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards. It relies on cooperation between managers, employees, and DOE to continuously improve health and safety programs.
Construction of SWPF is 94 percent complete.
AIKEN, S.C. – Cleanup of the Savannah River Site (SRS) is set to reach an important milestone in May with completion of the Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF) construction. When operational, the facility will significantly increase the amount of high-level radioactive tank waste processed and prepared for disposition.
“Once SWPF is operational, we will truly have a complete, high-functioning system for managing the liquid waste stored in the SRS tanks,” said DOE Savannah River Operations Office Federal Project Director Pamela Marks. “The SWPF will allow DOE to separate the salt waste at a much higher capacity than current operations, standing alongside the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) and the Saltstone Facility and the other vital portions of the liquid waste mission at SRS. Completing this suite of facilities will help DOE finish the job earlier and more efficiently.”
Following construction, SWPF contractor Parsons enters the startup and commissioning phase, with radioactive operations set to start by the end of 2018.
“We've implemented a number of strategies to safely and efficiently accelerate the schedule, and we have seen very positive results over the past 30 months. Our focus on safety, as well as the emphasis we've placed on aligning our engineering, construction, and commissioning groups, has really put us in a position to succeed,” Parsons Vice President and SWPF Project Manager Frank Sheppard said. “Our goal is not to simply deliver a facility, but rather to successfully complete testing and commissioning of the facility and begin hot operations. Our big win here will be to provide a facility that is capable of processing all of the salt waste at the Savannah River Site within 10 to 15 years of hot operations.”
In October, the project successfully installed 36 devices to concentrate radioactive cesium in the liquid waste streams, reducing the volume of waste sent from SWPF to DWPF. The final major piece of engineered equipment known as the Closed Circuit Television system has undergone testing and will be delivered by March.
EM and Parsons ramped up staff anticipating early construction completion. Nearly 100 testing, commissioning, and plant operations employees are focused on developing tests to prepare SWPF operations. The workforce will complete a review emphasizing safety and work control procedures.
“This is an exciting time for the project, and we are putting a particular emphasis on maintaining our focus as we pivot from construction to commissioning,” Sheppard said.