WC Monitor
9/25/2015
DOE Issues Request for Information for SRS Liquid Waste Contract
The Department of Energy on Tuesday released a request for information/sources sought for companies interested in taking over the contract to dispose of liquid waste stored at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. Savannah River Remediation’s contract for the work is scheduled to lapse on June 30, 2017.
“The RFI/Sources Sought is seeking to solicit input via capability statements from interested parties with the specialized capabilities necessary to meet the requirements for the SRS Liquid Waste services,” DOE said in a press release.” Within these capability statements, DOE is seeking feedback from contractors and other interested parties regarding options for innovative approaches for the performance of the major Elements of Scope as well as insight into potential contracting alternatives.”
In the RFI document, DOE said it had not yet determined specifics such as the length and type of the contract, how much funding would be provided, and whether small business opportunities would be available.
Major components of the future contract are expected to include operation of liquid waste storage tanks, evaporators, transfer lines, and related equipment; operation of the Salt Waste Processing Facility; and waste removal from tanks and tank closures.
DOE set an Oct. 21 deadline for submission of all capability statements and any questions on the RFI. Responses should be submitted to [email protected].
Savannah River Closes Another Radioactive Waste Tank
It took Savannah River Site liquid waste contractor Savannah River Remediation 3 ½ months to pour 6,300 cubic yards of grout into the facility’s Tank 16, as SRR on Tuesday completed the first tank closure in H Area more than a month ahead of schedule. Grouting on the next “older style” tank of high-level radioactive waste scheduled for operational closure, Tank 12, which would be the eighth tank closed at the site, is expected to begin in February, SRS said in a press release yesterday. “Safely treating and disposing of legacy nuclear waste and closing older style waste tanks is a top priority for DOE,” Energy Department-Savannah River Manager Jack Craig said in a statement. “I congratulate all involved in the closure of Tank 16, and we look forward to grouting Tank 12 soon.” Grouting the entire tank, including its internal components, is the final step of tank closure after the waste inside has been removed.
With a diameter of 85 feet and a storage capacity of approximately 1 million gallons, Tank 16 was built between 1955 and 1956, and was the fifth tank closed at SRS since 2012, according to the release. The Federal Facility Agreement between DOE, Environmental Protection Agency, and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control dictated Tank 16 be closed before Oct. 27. The closure follows the sealing of Tanks 5 and 6 in 2013, Tanks 18 and 19 in 2012, and Tanks 17 and 20 in 1997.
