About 75% of the motor vehicle fleet at the Nevada National Security Site is powered by either electricity or alternate fuels, according to the just-released annual environmental report for 2022.
The former nuclear testing site also gets more than a third of its electricity from carbon-free sources, according to the 270-page report prepared by prime contractor Mission Support and Test Services.
The contractor team is made up of Honeywell, Jacobs and Huntington Ingalls Industries.
According to the sustainability section of the report, only 1% of the carbon-free electricity was generated onsite, while another 34% came in via the electric grid. In addition, the National Nuclear Security Administration, which oversees the site, is making plans for a solar power project capable of generating more than 13 megawatts of electricity. New solar-electric vehicle charging stations are also being ordered.
In addition, the Nevada site is one of five DOE properties identified for potential large-scale development on carbon-free electricity. The DOE Nevada Site-Specific Advisory Board heard last week that an industry day for potential energy developers could be held in December or January, although no date has been settled upon.
The southeast corner of the Nevada site is about 55 miles northwest of the center of Las Vegas in Clark County. By highway, it is about 65 miles from the center of Las Vegas to Mercury, which is the main base camp for worker services and administration.
The Nevada property encompasses about 1,360 square miles. Between 1940 and 1950, today’s Nevada National Security Site was under the jurisdiction of Nellis Air Force Base and was part of the Nellis Bombing and Gunnery Range, according to the report. In 1950, the site became the primary location for nuclear bomb tests.
The last above-ground test occurred in 1962. The last underground test was 1992, according to the document.
