NNSA begins construction on project to improve security and reduce costs after reaching critical decision milestone.
National Nuclear Security Administration
April 7, 2021
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NNSA begins construction on project to improve security and reduce costs after reaching critical decision milestone
WASHINGTON –The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) broke ground on the West End Protected Area Reduction (WEPAR) project at the Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee on April 7.
WEPAR will provide state-of-the-art security equipment and protection and eliminate approximately 70 acres from the Y-12 Protected Area. The project’s scope includes installation of the Perimeter Intrusion Detection Assessment System (PIDAS) boundary fence along H-Road; installation of the new Entry Control Facility with a vehicle portal; removal of the legacy PIDAS West of H-Road; refurbishment of the legacy PIDAS south of the Uranium Processing Facility; and conversion of four buildings to Limited Areas. This project achieved its critical milestone for the approval to proceed with construction in January of this year
“NNSA is thrilled to see WEPAR achieve this critical milestone, given the importance of this project in ensuring our Enterprise remains a good steward of taxpayer dollars,” said Robert Raines, NNSA’s Associate Administrator for Acquisition and Project Management (APM). “We look forward to starting this work and are committed to seeing it safely completed on budget and schedule.”
The goal of the $159.9 million WEPAR project, slated for completion in July 2025, is to improve the security posture of the Y-12 site while reducing future cleanup costs of large legacy production buildings by providing easier access to those buildings no longer requiring heightened security protection.
Read more about NNSA’s Office of Acquisition and Project Management.