UCOR starts new $8.3B Oak Ridge cleanup contract
UCOR, under a slightly different name and configuration of company partnerships, has started work on its latest cleanup contract valued at $8.3 billion.
Monday was the first day of work for United Cleanup Oak Ridge (UCOR) as the company began work under its newest Oak Ridge Reservation cleanup contract.
The company is a new configuration of UCOR, formerly an Amentum-led partnership with Jacobs, according to a company news release. Under the new name and new contract, Amentum and Jacobs are joined by Honeywell to form the leadership team. Additional teaming partners of the joint venture are RSI Entech, StrataG, Longenecker & Associates, and Environmental Alternatives Inc. (EAI).
UCOR took over cleanup operations in Oak Ridge in 2011. In 2020, UCOR successfully closed out the East Tennessee Technology Park contract almost $100 million under budget, according to the release. It was the first cleanup of a gaseous diffusion plant in the world.
“People and partnerships were what made us successful in the previous iteration of UCOR,” Ken Rueter, UCOR president and chief executive officer, stated in the release. “During our 11-plus years of safely cleaning up ETTP and other Reservation sites, we developed a highly skilled workforce that is second to none in their performance and dedication to safety.”
The company employs nearly 2,000 people.
Rueter noted the power of the “incredible partnerships” the company developed with the community, elected leaders, labor, and stakeholder groups.
“Now that much of our work has shifted to ORNL (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) and Y-12, we depend on strong relationships with the prime contractors and federal offices at those sites. All of these partnerships are critical to our successful support of DOE’s priorities in a way that best benefits taxpayers," he stated.
UCOR will continue the final soil and groundwater remediation at ETTP. The company will also focus on removing unneeded, contaminated facilities at ORNL and the Y-12 National Security Complex.
At ORNL, there are more than 125 facilities identified for demolition, 30 of which are considered high risk. At Y-12, more than 90 facilities will eventually be demolished, with 25 of those being high risk. Most of this demolition is expected to be completed by 2031.
"Completion of this contract will not only deliver environmental risk reduction but enable historic preservation, conservation, and future economic development," the release stated.
Another major component of UCOR’s contract is the construction of a proposed new on-site disposal facility to handle the wastes that will be generated by this environmental cleanup. The proposed Environmental Management Disposal Facility will replace the current onsite facility, which has almost reached its capacity. UCOR’s use of onsite disposal has reportedly saved taxpayers significant money and also kept waste off public roadways.