Lower-Risk Demolition Complete at Hanford’s Plutonium Finishing Plant

RICHLAND, Wash. – Little remains of the Plutonium Finishing Plant’s (PFP) main processing facility at the Hanford Site after workers completed demolition of its lower-risk portions last week.

EM Richland Operations Office (RL) contractor CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company (CHPRC) is set to begin the final phase of demolition at PFP as soon as this week. This work is expected to continue through early next year and includes removal of the main processing facility’s two former plutonium processing lines and removal of rubble from the demolished Plutonium Reclamation Facility.

“Safe completion of lower-risk demolition highlights a significant accomplishment in Hanford’s cleanup mission,” said Tom Teynor, RL project director. “The enhanced safety measures in place since lower-risk activities resumed more than a year ago continue to prove effective in protecting workers, the environment, and the public.”

This animation shows the revised demolition approach and enhanced controls, which reflect worker input. Pauses are built into the schedule to review lessons learned and incorporate additional input before proceeding.

“I’m proud of our team’s focus over the past year on maintaining a safe and steady approach to this critical risk reduction effort,” said Jason Casper, CHPRC vice president for the PFP closure project. “The progress toward safe completion of demolition activities at PFP has truly been a team effort and is the result of excellent communication and collaboration between our workers, labor, DOE, and the regulators.”

This time-lapse video highlights lower-risk demolition through this past October.

RL continues to post weekly updates on PFP activities here.