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Bechtel Team Makes Substantial Construction Progress at Hanford Site

  • 06 January 2014
    RICHLAND, Washington
  • Americas, Environmental Cleanup & Management, Hanford Vitrification Project, Press Release

Video Highlights Milestones and Achievements at Waste Treatment Plant in 2013

Completing the steam plant and placement of structural steel in the main portion of the High-Level Waste Vitrification Facility were just two of the major construction accomplishments the Bechtel team made in 2013 at the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant. Watch video of the progress.

Bechtel is designing and building the facility, also known as the Vit Plant, for the U.S, Department of Energy. When complete, the plant will treat 56 million gallons of radioactive waste stored in underground tanks in Washington state.

“I’m especially pleased to see the continued improvement in employees’ attention to safety while completing a number of high-profile activities,” said Peggy McCullough, Bechtel’s project director at the Waste Treatment Plant. “That contributed to Vit Plant workers achieving the best safety performance in project history with fewer injuries in 2013 than ever before.”

Chief among the construction accomplishments was placement of the structural steel to the 77-foot level at the High-Level Waste Vitrification Facility. The building is among the core elements of the Waste Treatment Plant, which also includes the Pretreatment and Low-Activity Waste Vitrification facilities as well as the Analytical Laboratory. “Construction is in full swing in most areas of the plant, including areas of High-Level Waste Facility not impacted by technical decisions,” said Bechtel’s manager of construction at the Waste Treatment Plant, Steve Overton. “In addition, we completed a substantial amount of work at the Analytical Laboratory, which puts us in a good position to complete construction of the Lab in 2014,” Overton added.

Another significant construction accomplishment in 2013 was the completion of the steam plant. The plant is part of the infrastructure necessary to support the four main Waste Treatment  Plant facilities.

A leader in environmental cleanup and restoration of former nuclear weapon production sites, Bechtel has experience that includes the cleanup, remediation, and closure of high-level nuclear waste facilities in Washington state, New Mexico, and South Carolina.  

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Bechtel is a trusted engineering, construction and project management partner to industry and government. Differentiated by the quality of our people and our relentless drive to deliver the most successful outcomes, we align our capabilities to our customers’ objectives to create a lasting positive impact. Since 1898, we have helped customers complete more than 25,000 projects in 160 countries on all seven continents that have created jobs, grown economies, improved the resiliency of the world's infrastructure, increased access to energy, resources, and vital services, and made the world a safer, cleaner place.  

Bechtel serves the Energy; Infrastructure; Manufacturing & Technology; Mining & Metals; and Nuclear, Security & Environmental markets. Our services span from initial planning and investment, through start-up and operations. www.bechtel.com

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