SRS stimulus to bring $1.6 billion, 3,000 jobs

The Department of Energy (DOE) announced Tuesday that the Savannah River Site (SRS) will receive $1.615 billion in stimulus funds to accelerate decommissioning work and create as many as 3,000 jobs.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for us to safely and efficiently create jobs," said Helen Belencan, Recovery Act project manager for DOE - Savannah River. "We have been given the public's trust to use the money wisely ... and with transparency."

The projects will accelerate decommissioning of nuclear facilities and contaminated areas throughout the Site, including in-place decommissioning of two nuclear materials production reactors.

Jobs financed with stimulus dollars are also aimed at early completion of clean-up programs and reducing the Site's protected area by 40 percent, or 79,000 acres, by September 2011.

"These investments will put Americans to work while cleaning up contamination from the Cold War era," said Energy Secretary Steven Chu. "It reflects our commitment to future generations as well as to help local economies get moving again."

As well as providing employment, the effort looks to significantly reduce environmental threats and reduce the life cycle costs of these projects.

Eliminating 90 percent of plutonium-238 means significantly reducing risk to Site workers, according to DOE.

SRS' injection is the second largest portion of the $6 billion of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds allocated by DOE. Only the Hanford site in Washington, D.C., received more with $1.6 billion.

Starting almost immediately, employment opportunities will begin and work will get underway.

"We're anxious to get going," said Chuck Munns, president of SRS management and operations contractor Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS). "We will start that next week ... we will be up above 1,000 (workers) by this summer."

As contractor, SRNS will oversee the hiring of subcontractors to undertake these tasks and will also oversee the accountability and transparency of the project.

Munns said Tuesday that the money will create permanent, as well as contract, work.

"We will expand our permanent, existing workforce by a very small amount, around 100 or so. And, several thousand by small contract work."

The specific scope of the work includes:

- Final decommissioning of two nuclear materials production reactors (R and P) and the demolition of the D area Power House

- Elimination of more than 90 percent of plutonium-238 from the old Plutonium Fuel Fabrication Facility

- Transuranic Waste (TRU): Ship or prepare for shipping 4,500 cubic meters of TRU waste out of South Carolina

- Deactivation and decommissioning of more than 100 facilities and structures

- Accelerated groundwater and soil decontamination

The work will reduce the footprint of SRS by 40 percent. According to DOE, plans are underway to make a large tract of this reclaimed land and the surrounding infrastructure available for an energy park and "cutting-edge research facilities," which could yield benefits of sustained future jobs.

Munns said Tuesday that his organization have been and will continue to work in conjunction with the Savannah River Reuse Organization in this area, although ARRA funds are not allocated for that venture.

Contact Mike Gellatly at mgellatly@aikenstandard.com.

TRU waste

Another part of the accelerated clean up plan is the removal of hazardous wastes from the site.

About 4,500 cubic meters of legacy transuranic waste (TRU waste) will be shipped or prepared to be shipped out of South Carolina, according to a U.S. Department of Energy news release.

TRU waste generated at SRS includes plastic, paper, rubber, glassware, metal items, gloves, filters, used equipment and other contaminated materials from routine processing. It was generated primarily by plutonium separations facilities and analytical laboratories.

It will be shipped to New Mexico. Any mixed low-level waste will be packaged for disposal at the Nevada Test Site, according to the news release.

Another part of the plan is to consolidate all the waste facilities at SRS that are part of the program into one area. Now, waste facilities are spread across SRS.

Also, SRS will ship 16,000 drums of depleted uranium oxide to an out-of-state facility for disposal. Uranium oxide is a by-product in the separations process that was used to make reactor fuel to produce plutonium.

Job hunting

As many as 3,000 jobs could be created or saved over the 30-month life of the project.

“The majority of these jobs fall into technical, construction and staff augmentation categories.

The job numbers will be more clearly defined as contracts are awaraded and actual work is executed. “All-in-all, it is good news for our communities and local economy,” said Jeff Allison, SRS manager, in a letter to employees at the Site.

These jobs will be advertised in print media. Anyone interested can visit the employment page at www.recovery.srs.gov. There is information there about submitting a resume.

Accountability

President Obama has promised strict accountability for all stimulus money. His directive is to ensure taxpayers are kept informed about how the billions of public dollars are being spent.

Chuck Munns, president of Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, on Tuesday repeatedly stressed his commitment to “accountability, transparency and openness” in implementing the Recovery Act funds.

According to a Department of Energy news release, SRS will:

- Launch a new SRS website, www.recovery.srs.gov that will track, monitor and identify the progression of work and the achievement of SRS project milestones.

- Provide public presentations and interviews by SRS management to provide periodic updates on the status of the work.

- Regularly meet with stakeholders in a variety of forums to report progress and resolve issues throughout the process.

By the numbers

1,615 billion - dollars coming to SRS

3,000 - jobs that will be created or saved

2011 - year this project should be completed

79,000 - acres that will be reduced from the SRS footprint

90 - percent of the very hazardous plutonium-238 that will be eliminated from the Site.

4,500 - cubic meters of transuranic waste and low-level radioactive waste that will be shipped out of South Carolina.