DOE APPROVES IDAHO TREATMENT GROUP’S RECOVERY PLAN

The Department of Energy has approved a recovery plan developed by Idaho Treatment Group, LLC, to help improve waste processing rates at the Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project. The recovery plan was developed in response to a strongly worded letter DOE sent ITG this spring warning of performance concerns that could result in the contractor failing to ship all of the remaining transuranic and mixed low-level waste at the AMWTP out of Idaho by the end of its contract. ITG’s recovery plan, initially submitted in June, focuses on three areas—improving waste retrieval at the AMWTP Transuranic Storage Area-Retrieval Enclosure; improving the AMWTP processing facility to make it more efficient; and permit modifications to ease waste processing. In a statement late last week, ITG spokesman Rick Dale said, “Idaho Treatment Group (ITG), in cooperation with the Department of Energy’s Idaho Operations office, developed a Project Recovery Plan that optimally supports achievement of ITG’s contract objectives to ship 26,600 cubic meters of waste out of Idaho by Sept. 30, 2015. The Recovery Plan has been approved by DOE and will be incorporated into ITG’s Performance Management Baseline.  The Recovery Plan demonstrates ITG’s ability to work collaboratively with DOE, the workforce, regulators and stakeholders to safely and compliantly improve waste shipment productivity.”