The largest experimental reactor at the Hanford complex has been successfully removed from its Cold-War-era building.
The Department of Energy site announced Wednesday that its contractor, Washington Closure Hanford, has readied the 1,082-ton Plutonium Recycle Test Reactor for transport and eventual storage at a nearby low-level waste facility. Operating from 1960 to 1969 beneath the 309 Building, it was used to test alternative fuels for commercial nuclear plants. Crews removed the dome atop the building in 2011 and an exhaust stack in 2010.
“Removing the reactor was one of the most complex and hazardous projects Washington Closure has faced since beginning work on the Columbia River corridor in 2005,” said Scott Sax, president of the consortium that includes URS, Bechtel National and CH2M Hill. “It took months of detailed planning and extensive preparatory work to reach the point where the reactor could be removed. This achievement was made possible because of our highly skilled workforce committed to completing this job safely to protect the Columbia River."
The next step in the PRTR project will be securing the reactor to a special Goldhofer trailer that will move it to Hanford's Environmental Restoration Disposal Facility.