The construction subcontractor could formally transfer possession of the new underground ventilation system at the Department of Energy’s transuranic waste disposal site in New Mexico to the Bechtel-led prime contractor by the end of August, according to a government safety board.
The tentative date for turnover from the construction subcontractor to Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) prime Salado Isolation Mining Contractors is Aug. 26, Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) staff said in a monthly report dated June 7 and recently posted online.
Kiewit’s The Industrial Co. was the subcontractor retained in April 2021 to take the project across the finish line after the first subcontractor was terminated by the prior WIPP operations contractor.
Construction work on the Safety Significant Confinement Ventilation System was finished May 24, and commissioning and staff training are underway, according to the DNFSB report. DOE has said it expects the project, designed to triple underground airflow to 540,000 cubic feet per minute, and be operational by summer 2026.
The total ventilation project’s final cost is expected to be around $494 million, according to DOE.
