As of early January, an Energy Department contractor has converted more than 70,500 metric tons of depleted uranium hexafluoride (DUF6) at two former gaseous diffusion plant sites. The material is being converted into uranium oxide, a more stable chemical form for storage, reuse, or disposal.
Conversion operations at the Portsmouth Site in Ohio and the Paducah Site in Kentucky together had converted a total of 65,038 metric tons DUF6 the end of fiscal 2018, a DOE spokesperson said Friday. From the start of fiscal 2019 on Oct. 1, 2018, through last Wednesday, an additional 5,543 metric tons had been converted for a cumulative total of 70,581 metric tons.
The DUF6 material was generated by uranium enrichment for nuclear weapons. Conversion operations began at Portsmouth in July 2010 and at Paducah in February 2011.
Mid-America Conversion Services, comprised of Atkins, Westinghouse, and Fluor, has a five-year, $319 million contract through January 2022 to convert the inventory of DUF6, which is more than 700,000 metric tons remaining. Mid-America took over the contract from BWXT Conversion Services in February 2017.
The Energy Department is taking comments until Feb. 11 on disposal options for the uranium oxide. The agency has listed the EnergySolutions site in Utah, the Waste Control Specialists site in Texas, and the Nevada National Security Site as potential disposal locations for the material. The agency is planning online public hearings on Jan. 22, 23, and 24.
Anyone who wants to participate in a hearing can sign up beforehand by submitting a request to [email protected].
