An excavator tears down the Solvent Storage Terrace as part of the deconstruction of the Main Plant Process Building at EM’s West Valley Demonstration Project.
An excavator tears down the Solvent Storage Terrace as part of the deconstruction of the Main Plant Process Building at EM’s West Valley Demonstration Project.

WEST VALLEY, N.Y.EM crews at the West Valley Demonstration Project have marked progress in the demolition of the Main Plant Process Building by successfully deconstructing a concrete block structure on the facility’s third floor.

Called the Solvent Storage Terrace, the concrete block structure formally held storage tanks associated with the final purification of uranium and plutonium product. From 1966 to 1972, the Main Plant operated as a commercial reprocessing facility to recover reusable plutonium and uranium from spent nuclear reactor fuel.

“Extensive measures, robust work controls and best practices have been incorporated into this project to ensure the safety of the workforce, community and the environment,” EM West Valley Main Plant Project Director Stephen Bousquet said. “We are performing this work in a deliberate and planned manner to maintain safety and stability of the building as deconstruction proceeds.”

In recent news, EM and prime contractor CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley (CHBWV) successfully shipped the first 12 containers of Main Plant demolition debris by rail to an offsite disposal facility.

EM and CHBWV began the controlled deconstruction of the Main Plant in September, achieving an EM 2022 priority. The teardown is expected to take approximately 30 months to complete.

A five-story, 35,100-square-foot reinforced concrete structure, the Main Plant is one of the last remaining major facilities at the West Valley site, and the successful deconstruction of this facility will further reduce environmental risks and position the site for the next phase in cleanup.