Two aging buildings at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Tennessee are undergoing electrical modernization upgrades under the facilities’ Extended Life Program (ELP), according to the National Nuclear Security Administration.
The NNSA last December received an ELP implementation plan from site contractor Consolidated Nuclear Security for extending the lives of Buildings 9215 and 9204-2E, decades-old enriched uranium processing plants. Operations in these buildings contribute to the NNSA’s defense operations, including the agency’s nuclear weapons life-extension programs.
Work under this program has begun with the Nuclear Facilities Electrical Modernization project, NNSA spokesman Steven Wyatt said by email. The project replaces high-priority electrical infrastructure equipment in the facilities and is funded at roughly $20 million per year from fiscal 2016 through fiscal 2020, Wyatt said.
Building 9215, which is about 60 years old, and Building 9204-E, which is over 45 years old, would operate for at least three more decades under the ELP, conducting all of the site’s processing operations that are not planned for the Uranium Processing Facility currently under construction at Y-12.
The Energy Department Inspector General’s Office said last July the buildings “do not meet modern nuclear facility design requirements,” raising concerns about future reliability.
The UPF is set for completion by 2025 at a cost of up to $6.5 billion. The NNSA says it is still on track to meet the cost and schedule targets.
While the implementation plan itself is a controlled document that has not been made public, Wyatt offered some additional details about activities to refurbish the two buildings, which the agency plans to maintain until they are replaced with new facilities.
Wyatt said upgrades to the fire protection sprinkler systems at 9215 and 9204-2E will continue through fiscal 2020, and an elevator refurbishment project for Building 9204-2E is underway and set to be completed in the next fiscal year.
He also said there are plans for re-evaluations for seismic events and other natural phenomena hazards for the two buildings, which will receive funding in fiscal 2019 and 2020. “ELP also is working to sustain machining capability by replacing two lathes and upgrading controllers on several other lathes,” according to Wyatt.
Wyatt added that the NNSA is coordinating ELP work beyond fiscal 2020 with Consolidated Nuclear Security but did not give an estimate of the full cost and schedule for the project. Previous reports indicated the “notional” cost of the ELP could be roughly $400 million.
