The Department of Energy prime has issued Cementation, a mine development company, a $15-million contract to renovate a big underground salt bin at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, a DOE spokesperson said Monday.
DOE announced last week prime contractor Salado Isolation Mining Contractors, a Bechtel business, retained underground mine developer Cementation to refurbish the underground salt storage bin, referred to as a salt pocket, at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad, N.M.
The work should start this summer and be completed by year end, DOE said. The steel-framed bin holds mined salt before it is raised to the surface. The salt is mined to make way for emplacement of containers of defense-related transuranic waste.
