The Department of Energy says it is on schedule to award three prime contracts at the Hanford Site in Washington state in late July and August.
“We’re actively in the source selection process now for all of the major contracts at the site other than Bechtel, (which) as you know has a completion contract,” Brian Vance, DOE Hanford manager, told the Hanford Advisory Board during its two-day meeting last week in Richland, Wash.
The three anticipated awards are the Hanford Tank Closure Contract, the Hanford Mission Essential Services Contract, and the Central Plateau Cleanup Contract, which are each expected to last up to 10 years.
Vance said the new tank farm contract could be awarded in late July or early August. It has an estimated value of $10 billion to $15 billion. Hanford has 56 million gallons of waste held in underground tanks from the past chemical processing of irradiated uranium fuel to remove plutonium.
Vance expects an August award for the contract that will cover support operations across the Hanford Site, including utilities, emergency response, information technology, fleet and road maintenance, and other basic services to keep the site operating. The new contract will have an estimated value of $4 billion to $6 billion.
Vance did not give an estimated award date for the central Hanford cleanup contract beyond late July to the end of August. The contractor will be responsible for environmental remediation in central Hanford, other than the tank farms, along with groundwater protection and remediation. The contract has an estimated value of $7 billion to $12 billion.
Bechtel National holds the contract to build and commission the Waste Treatment Plant at Hanford, which will vitrify tank waste for disposal. The contract will expire when the facility is commissioned.
