The Department of Energy is making plans for replacement of the emergency operations center at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina by late 2028, according to one of the procurement documents published last week.
Last week DOE issued its draft request for proposals for the Savannah River Site Operations Acquisition, a contract which could amount to $21.5-billion over 10 years. Among the capital projects planned for the 310-square-mile federal facility near the Georgia line are a trio of updated facilities centered around emergency preparedness.
Among the many things slated to be built under the new contract, the follow-on to the agreement now held by the Fluor-led Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, is a new emergency operations center with main and alternate communication facilities. The primary communications site will be co-located with the new emergency ops center. The alternate communications facility will be at the existing emergency operations center.
The new setup should provide larger, more energy efficient facilities that can ramp up emergency operations faster while being safer and more secure, according to the document.
A final design for the facilities should be ready in July 2022, with construction to start around June 2023 and completion penciled in for October 2028.
The on-site communications dispatch hub at Savannah River handles 911 calls and coordinates initial response to all on-site emergencies, from nuclear mishaps to more common fire and medical calls, according to the document. The 12-page public document does not say how much the project will cost.
The current Emergency Operations Center, Savannah River Site Operations Center and 911 Call Center and supporting areas are located in 25,000 square feet of a building commissioned in 1953, said a DOE spokesperson at the site.
Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, a joint venture which consists of Fluor, Newport News Nuclear and Honeywell, has been the site management and operations contractor since August 2008, under a pact valued at $15.8 billion. The deal runs through September but DOE has an option to keep the incumbent around through September 2022.
The DOE is holding virtual meetings with interested firms next week and comments or questions on the draft solicitation are due by May 28.The multibillion-dollar add on contract is almost certain to draw attention from the biggest contractors in the weapons complex.
