Hanford Demolition Team Knocks Down Former Fuel Removal Facility

Heavy equipment operated by contractor Central Plateau Cleanup Company demolishes the 142K Cold Vacuum Drying Facility near the Columbia River. The facility was once used to prepare spent nuclear fuel for removal from the former K East and K West Reactor basins.

RICHLAND, Wash. — Workers at the Hanford Site have removed a facility once used to prepare spent nuclear fuel for storage, marking continued progress in the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management’s risk-reduction work near the Columbia River.

“Every structure we take down is one less risk along the Columbia River,” said Heather Dale, assistant manager for river and plateau with the Hanford Field Office. “Removing this facility is a visible step forward in worker and environmental safety.”

The 16,000-square-foot building, called the 142K Cold Vacuum Drying Facility, played a key role in removing spent nuclear fuel, mostly from N Reactor. That fuel had been stored for decades in the K East and K West Reactor basins near the river until it could be stabilized for long term storage.

Crews from contractor Central Plateau Cleanup Company (CPCCo) tore down the 142K facility and a nearby 650-square-foot metal structure that supplied emergency power, then hauled the debris to Hanford’s regulated disposal facility.

The 142K facility is one of several key structures removed this year by CPCCo, including:

• K West spent fuel basin dewatering equipment
• A large mobile office complex
• 189K Water Treatment Facility and associated 1803K Water Treatment Tank
• 166 K West fuel bunker