New contract for Hanford cleanup to start in October

21 September 2020


Hanford site (Photo: DOE)US company Amentum announced that the US DOE had provided the Amentum-led joint venture with Fluor and Atkins, Central Plateau Cleanup Company, the Notice to Proceed to start transition on 5 October on the Central Plateau Clean-up Contract at the Hanford Site near Richland, Washington.

The Central Plateau Clean-up Contract is a master indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract valued at $10 billion for a period of up to 10 years, including a transition period of at least 60 days. The award was announced last year.

Mark Whitney, executive vice president and general manager of Amentum’s Nuclear & Environment strategic business unit, said: “We have assembled a tremendous team led by Scott Sax, and the entire leadership team is anxious to begin working with the talented Hanford workforce, regulators and other Hanford stakeholders. We look forward to sharing our transition plans to continue work on this important DOE clean-up mission.”

Scott Sax was the the president of Washington Closure Hanford as it successfully completed most cleanup of Hanford along the Columbia River. He also has served as the project operations manager at the Hanford tank farm contractor, Washington River Protection Solutions, and as deputy general manager at the Waste Treatment Completion Co. building the Hanford vitrification plant. His Hanford experience also includes work at the Plutonium Finishing Plant and the K Basins.

“Our goal is to be the safest, best-performing, most respected clean-up contractor in the Department of Energy complex,” Sax said.

Atkins Nuclear Secured Holdings Corporation is a business unit within Canada-based SNC-Lavalin’s global nuclear sector focused on the US federal market. SNC-Lavalin said: “This nuclear services contract is within SNCL Engineering Services, the cornerstone of our strategy moving forward to greater growth and support for our partner and customer.”

The Central Plateau Clean-up Contract will achieve end state closure of facilities, waste burial sites, and groundwater remediation in the river corridor of the Hanford Reservation along the Columbia River. The scope will also include decommissioning and dismantlement of several legacy facilities on the Central Plateau of the Hanford Reservation. Central Plateau Cleanup Company will manage waste disposition activities for the on-site disposal facility as well as off-site disposal operations.

Sandy Taylor, president, nuclear, SNC-Lavalin, said: "We have a long history of working with the DOE to safely and economically clean up nuclear facilities and are proud to support the DOE on achieving end state closure at the Hanford site."

The Central Plateau Cleanup Company, which includes Amentum, Fluor and Atkins is one of the largest and most experienced nuclear end state delivery teams assembled in the DOE complex. With more than 100 years of combined nuclear experience, including 63 years at Hanford, these companies have collectively decommissioned 1179 facilities and dispositioned more waste for the US clean-up programme than any other company.

The turnover from the expiring contract held by CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Co to the Central Plateau Cleanup Co contract was delayed by a legal challenge and the coronavirus pandemic. The appeal of the contract award was settled in DOE’s favour, but DOE waited to start the transition until more Hanford workers had returned to the site with COVID-19 cases on the decline.

CH2M employs about 1700 workers at Hanford and is in its 12th year of work at the site after earlier extensions to its original 10-year contract. Most employees are expected to transfer to the new contractor, with more of the new leadership team and other details to be announced in early October.


Photo: Hanford site (Photo: DOE)



Privacy Policy
We have updated our privacy policy. In the latest update it explains what cookies are and how we use them on our site. To learn more about cookies and their benefits, please view our privacy policy. Please be aware that parts of this site will not function correctly if you disable cookies. By continuing to use this site, you consent to our use of cookies in accordance with our privacy policy unless you have disabled them.