RICHLAND, Wash. - The Hanford Site ’s Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) is coming down, building by building.
EM Richland Operations Office cleanup contractor CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company (CH2M) recently began tearing down the earlier than planned. Workers will knock it down in parallel with, which began Nov. 1, as the schedule allows.
“Demolition is progressing safely, deliberately and well," said Tom Teynor, project director of EM’s PFP Closure Division. “Starting demolition of the Americium Recovery Facility brings another chapter of Hanford history to an end and represents a significant hazard reduction on the site."
One of PFP’s four large buildings, the Americium Recovery Facility operated during the site’s plutonium production days, separating radioactive americium. It ceased operations in 1976 following an explosion that severely injured Harold McCluskey, an employee who was working inside. He survived, and the room became known as the McCluskey Room. In 2014, CH2M began final cleanout and demolition preparations, including removal of the glove box that burst and contaminated McCluskey.
Employees continue preparing PFP’s main production building and a ventilation fan house and stack for demolition, which is expected to begin in late April after the teardown of the other PFP facilities. Workers are removing highly contaminated ventilation ductwork and process piping, and installing temporary power. Demolition of the entire PFP complex is scheduled for completion by September 2017.
“The PFP team has done a tremendous job safely performing this hazardous work, whether it’s cleaning out the buildings or demolishing them," said Tom Bratvold, vice president of CH2M’s PFP closure project. “We are making steady progress, and we will continue to do so safely."
Source: U.S. Dept. of Energy, Office of Environmental Management
