DOE Honors Savannah River Site Project for Outstanding Climate Resiliency

AIKEN, S.C. — An effort to improve the lifespan and resiliency of a communication tower against extreme weather events at the Savannah River Site (SRS) has garnered the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Sustainability Award for Outstanding Climate Resilience Project.

DOE’s Sustainability Performance Office recognized the site’s Communication Tower 623-40G Structural Analysis and Upgrade Project for its commitment to ensuring DOE is a federal leader in sustainability during a ceremony at its second annual Sustainability Summit.

“SRS consistently identifies projects to proactively improve site infrastructure, increase reliability and avoid risk of failure,” said Brian Stephens, director, DOE-Savannah River Infrastructure and Operations Division. “With the release of the fiscal year 2022 Vulnerability Assessment and Resilience Plan, SRS took a closer look at infrastructure risks attributed to extreme weather events — including the communication tower.”

Last year, DOE bestowed three Sustainability Awards and an honorable mention to a trio of DOE Office of Environmental Management sites for achievements in innovative water management practices, strategic partnerships to strengthen the workforce, high performance sustainable building construction and water conservation.

Erected in 1998, the 600-foot tower at SRS supports approximately 2,000 radios for SRS Emergency Services and remote workers. It was constructed to withstand 80 mph winds but offered limited support for ice accumulation.

“It wasn’t easy moving this resilience project forward. It took time to secure the necessary funding required to perform the integrity testing for the guyed wire system and foundation anchors,” said Brent Cole, strategic integration manager for Site Services at Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS), the site’s management and operations contractor. “Although the tower was not actively failing, we highlighted the potential negative impacts on SRS and the surrounding community if the tower stopped functioning properly.”

Traditionally, crews inspected the tower every three years. But in the upgrade project, a structural engineer conducted a more in-depth inspection and structural life-cycle analysis. Using guided ultrasonic wave testing — a cutting-edge, nondestructive evaluation method — the engineer noted the tower had mild corrosion ranging from 8 to 12%.

Following the inspection, the SRNS structural analysis recommended additional internal bracing to reinforce the structure’s legs and foundation. Now, the tower can withstand 102 mph wind speeds and 131 mph wind gusts, and remain functional under the weight of 1 inch of ice.

“Ensuring our first responders and security forces have a resilient and reliable communications infrastructure is of upmost importance in the event of a crisis or natural disaster. These upgrades will measurably improve the probability it will function when needed,” said Judson Davis, SRNS facility maintenance manager for the Spent Fuels Project.

The upgrades will extend the tower’s life by an additional 10 years and result in a cost savings of more than $5 million over the next decade. In addition, the structural improvements provide the capability for 1,000 radios to be added to the network in the next two years.

The structure will continue to support SRS during critical weather events and serves as a successful resilience planning example that can be applied to future towers across the site and the DOE complex. The tower project was also recommended as a case study for the Federal Climate Resilience Best Practices Guide.

-Contributor: Mackenzie McNabb