– Edited By Chris Reed –
Westinghouse Electric Company announced last week it has begun the demolition and removal of the retired test reactor outer structure at its Waltz Mill facility here. This project is part of the site's continued remediation plans, which include decontamination or removal of structures and areas used as part of test reactor operations conducted from 1959 to 1962.
The test reactor vessel was previously removed in 2000; the remaining structure, a large, white-domed containment building used to house the test reactor, is not needed for current site operations.
Siempelkamp Nuclear Services, Inc., from West Columbia, S.C., is the general contractor for this demolition project. Siempelkamp has subcontracted NOVA Environmental Services, Inc., in Pittsburgh, Pa., to remove the containment building structure.
Preliminary field work activities began last month. Preliminary schedules from the contractor indicate that the removal work will be completed approximately six months after mobilization, weather permitting.
The plan that Westinghouse developed to remove this structure ensures the health and safety of all site personnel and the general public while protecting the environment.